Drive along Broadway in Midtown Kansas City, and you’d see the area has redeveloped rapidly. New restaurants have popped up, and MAC Properties alone has renovated 24 old buildings near Armour Boulevard.
Still, some say there’s one thing holding the area back.
Jennifer Wismeier couldn’t believe it when she found a bag full of hypodermic needles in the middle of her street.
“They were not individually wrapped, fresh needles, I'd say 20 or 30 scattered hypodermic needles on the road,” Wismeier explained.
She lives in Midtown near Broadway and has seen a major improvement just over the past few years but has concerns about the CSL Plasma Center a couple of blocks away and the people who frequent the area.
Police reports show a drug-related arrest on the same corner less than a week before Wismeier discovered the needles. Reports show several other crimes such as theft, breaking and entering and assault in the same vicinity over the past month.
Wismeier said, “We have a lot of transient situations in this neighborhood, we have the plasma center on Broadway, we have a lot of walk-through.”
It’s not clear where the needles came from.
It alarmed Philip Isley, who also lives down the street. “I'd be concerned because I walk my dogs down the street all of the time.”
Isley’s aware of the plasma center but said he didn’t ever notice many problems there.
“I used to give plasma there on a fairly regular basis. I don't currently but I do know they always have security outside,” Isley said.
We reached out to the center for comment but have not heard back.
For Wismeier, as improvements are made in her neighborhood, she just thinks the plasma center would be better somewhere else. “Maybe perhaps move it so that it's so like a bedroom community or more of a business-type district, I don't know what the answer is."
According to the center’s website, they review medical history and compensate time with a reloadable prepaid debit card:
As you enter a CSL Plasma donation center for the first time, you will be greeted by one of our friendly staff. You'll be asked to provide a valid form of identification, proof of residency and proof of your social security number. Next, you will answer some questions using our donor kiosk. After answering these questions, our medical staff will review your medical history and conduct a physical examination (check your vitals) to verify your eligibility as a donor. Once all eligibility requirements have been met, you will then be connected to a plasmapheresis machine to donate your plasma. Although wait times may vary, the collection process usually takes approximately 90 minutes. Upon completion of your donation, you will be compensated for your time with a reloadable prepaid debit card.
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Shannon Halligan can be reached at shannon.halligan@kshb.com.
