Orlando Health helps educate COVID-19 recovered patients and community members on ways to donate convalescent plasma

ORLANDO, Fla. (April 20, 2020) --- Orlando Health is working to educate patients and community members about ways they may be able to help make COVID-19 convalescent plasma a treatment option for others.

On March 24, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma as an emergency investigational treatment for critically ill patients with coronavirus. Convalescent plasma is collected through blood donation from patients who have recovered from an infection such as COVID-19. Antibodies within this plasma can boost an infected patient’s immune system and potentially help them recover more quickly.

To help in the donation effort, Orlando Health patients are provided COVID-19 convalescent plasma treatment education materials, eligibility criteria, and instructions during the discharge process. In addition, Orlando Health social media channels will also share the information to build awareness for community members who have recovered.

Eligible donors must meet the following criteria:

• Eligible to donate blood

• Prior diagnosis of COVID-19 documented by an FDA-approved laboratory test

• Complete resolution of symptoms for at least 14 days prior to donation of convalescent plasma AND a documented negative FDA-approved COVID-19 test OR

• Complete resolution of symptoms for at least 28 days prior to donation

The plasma can be collected either from whole-blood or plasma-only donors.

For additional information, contact OneBlood at 1-888-9Donate (1-888-936-6283) and select option 9, or visit https://www.oneblood.org/lp/covid-19-convalescent-plasma.stml#btndonate.

About Orlando Health 

Orlando Health is a not-for-profit healthcare organization with $5.6 billion of assets under management. The system spans nine Florida counties with nearly 450 locations that include 13 wholly-owned or affiliated hospitals and emergency departments; rehabilitation services, cancer centers, heart institutes, imaging and laboratory services, wound care centers, more than 300 physician offices for adults and pediatrics, and 11 urgent care centers in partnership with CareSpot Urgent Care. In FY18, Orlando Health served approximately 167,000 inpatients, more than 2.7 million outpatients, and more than 20,000 international patients. The organization is home to the area’s only Level One Trauma Centers for adults and pediatrics, and is a statutory teaching hospital system that offers both specialty and community hospitals. Nearly 3,600 physicians have privileges across the system, which is also one of the area’s largest employers with nearly 20,500 employees. Additionally, Orlando Health provides more than $620 million in total value to the community in the form of charity care, community benefit programs and services, community building activities and more. Additional information can be found at www.orlandohealth.com.