CSL spends some $24M on donation centers, salaries, support in Puerto Rico
Last week, its CEO, alongside the mayor of Toa Baja and other community leaders, hosted an event to emphasize CSL’s expanding presence on the island.
CSL Plasma, a subsidiary of global biotherapeutics company CSL Behring, has invested more than $24 million in Puerto Rico through its three plasma donation and collections centers located in Toa Baja, Loíza and Ponce, CSL CEO Paul McKenzie confirmed during a recent visit.
The centers, which are dedicated to delivering plasma-derived therapies, typically contribute about $4 million or more in economic activity to the communities in which they operate.
Last week, McKenzie, alongside the mayor of Toa Baja and other community leaders, hosted an event to emphasize CSL’s expanding presence on the island and its mission to provide plasma-derived therapies.
The company expects to create about 50 new jobs at the Toa Baja collection center once fully staffed. It will offer around 50 beds for plasma donations, “ensuring a smooth and expeditious experience for donors,” he said.
“CSL is excited to see our expansion continue in Puerto Rico as part of our commitment to collecting plasma to help all those who clinically benefit from it, which includes individuals with rare and serious diseases, and also individuals suffering from trauma, shock, burns or other emergencies,” said McKenzie.
“We at CSL also believe in being a supportive member of the communities in which our employees and plasma donors live and work, with close to 350 centers in the United States, Germany, Hungary and China,” he said. “Wherever CSL Plasma has a collection center, we are positive for the local economy and the community.”
Plasma collected at these centers is used to manufacture life-saving therapies for people with rare diseases in more than 100 countries.
The therapies treat conditions such as primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema, inherited respiratory diseases, hemophilia, and other bleeding and neurological disorders
Donors at the Puerto Rico centers receive stipends to compensate for their time and inconvenience.
Each of the CSL Plasma centers on the island employ medical staff nurses, reception technicians, donor service technicians, plasma processing technicians, and center management and quality personnel.
To date, more than $2.3 million has been spent on salaries for nearly 100 employees working for CSL in Puerto Rico, the executive said.
CSL has a history of fostering the career development of its employees, and those who start out in entry-level roles often make their way up to center manager, regional roles, and even to some of the highest leadership roles within the company, McKenzie emphasized.
“CSL intends to extend this pipeline to Puerto Rico and encourage team members there to build a career working for CSL,” he added.
