Upper Peninsula Regional Blood Center

11/19/2025

🩸 Celebrating an Incredible Milestone! 🩸

Join us in recognizing Dominic, who just donated his 114th unit of blood — an amazing 14 gallons shared with our community.

Dominic has generously given both platelets and whole blood, and he’s one of our most dedicated donors. He’s always encouraging others to step up, and he wants everyone to know that donating is easy and that our donor staff makes the experience truly great.

Thank you, Dominic, for your unwavering commitment to helping others. Your impact is immeasurable. ❤️

Ready to make a difference like Dominic? Schedule your next donation at 906.449.1450 or visit www.UPHealthSystem.com/regional-blood-center to learn more.

10/29/2025

🩸 Critical Need for Blood Donations 🩸

The UP Health System Regional Blood Center urgently needs A-negative, B-negative, and O-negative blood donors.

Donating blood is a simple, lifesaving act, just one donation can save up to three lives. If you’re eligible, please consider making an appointment to donate.

Your gift can make a life-changing difference for patients right here in our community.

Learn more and schedule your donation: https://www.uphealthsystem.com/regional-blood-center.

10/03/2025

Be a Hero in Your Community – Host a Blood Drive!

Hosting a blood drive at your school, workplace, or club is like planting a tree that will grow to shelter countless people—you may never see every life it touches, but the impact is real and lasting. Whether it’s helping neighbors, friends, or someone you’ll never meet, every donation matters.

And don’t worry—you don’t have to do it alone. Think of us as your co-pilot: the UP Regional Blood Center team will handle the planning, setup, and details, while you focus on rallying your community to make a difference.

👉 Learn more about hosting a drive: UP Regional Blood Center
📞 Call us at 906.449.1450 to get started.

09/11/2025

September Supporters of the Month

A big thank you to Evergreen Market, Donckers & The Delft Bistro for supporting blood donation this month!

Donate blood at the UP Regional Blood Center in Marquette during September and receive a $5 gift card to use at these local favorites, while supplies last.

🩸 Donate blood.
❤️ Save lives.
🎁 Earn rewards.

Learn more at: https://www.uphealthsystem.com/regional-blood-center

08/28/2025

In honor of today’s blood drive at the U.P. Regional Blood Center, we’re sharing the story of Teagan Blohowiak, ’24, an NMU alum whose dedication has already made a big impact in our community. At the blood center, Teagan helped process and deliver donations to hospitals across the Upper Peninsula, ensuring patients received the care they needed. For him, it wasn’t just a job—it was a calling to serve others.

Recently, Teagan began medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin, continuing his mission to care for people and make a difference. His journey reminds us that every donation counts, and today, you can be part of that mission too. Every pint stays local and saves lives.

🔗 Learn more about Teagan's story: Behind the Blood: https://nmu.edu/ruralhealth/UP-Regional-Blood-Center

⏰ The blood drive is happening now through 6 p.m.! Don’t miss your chance to give back. Learn more and get involved: https://www.uphealthsystem.com/regional-blood-center

At the very heart of the life-saving work in our region is the Upper Peninsula Regional Blood Center. It's here that Medical Laboratory Technician and Northern Michigan University (NMU) alumnus, Teagan Blohowiak '24 (Clinical Lab Sciences), stepped into a role that impacted lives across the entire r...

07/29/2025

🩸 GIVE A PINT, GET A PINT! 🍦

Donate blood at any UP Regional Blood Center clinic during the month of August and receive a free pint of Culver’s frozen custard as a thank-you treat!

Every donation helps save lives in our community, and now it comes with a sweet reward.

📍 Find a clinic near you and schedule your donation today! https://www.uphealthsystem.com/regional-blood-center

07/22/2025

The UP Regional Blood Center is currently experiencing a critical blood shortage. No matter your blood type, your donation can make a lifesaving difference for patients across the Upper Peninsula.

🩸Just one donation can save up to three lives. If you’re healthy and eligible, please consider donating today.

How you can help:
• Donate today: Visit your local UP Health System Blood Center.
• Spread the word: Share this message with friends, family and coworkers.
• Get informed: Learn more about eligibility and upcoming drives at UPHealthSystem.com/regional-blood-center.

Donate blood. Save lives.

07/02/2025

🩸 A Father's Day I'll Never Forget 🩸
By Travis Norman, Marketing & Communications Coordinator, UP Health System – Bell & Portage

"On Father’s Day, I kissed my wife and toddler goodbye and walked into the hospital alone. I was admitted to UP Health System – Marquette due to blood loss from a gastrointestinal bleed.

In the middle of the night on my second day, a nurse woke me—my hemoglobin levels had dropped, and I needed a transfusion. As Marquette slept six stories below, I lay awake watching a dark red bag slowly give me back my strength. That blood came from the UP Regional Blood Center. Without it, I might not have woken up the next morning.

I was discharged two days later with good news, and I’ve been recovering at home with my family ever since. I’m incredibly grateful for how quickly I received the blood I needed—and for every person in this community who takes the time to donate.

The blood you give doesn’t just disappear. It goes directly into people like me, helping us heal, hope, and carry on.

I’ve got a lot more life to live—thanks to you and the Upper Peninsula Regional Blood Center." ❤️

06/27/2025

Blood Donor Eligibility Update! 🩸

Have you lived or been stationed in the U.K., Ireland, Germany or France? You may now be eligible to donate blood!

In October 2022, the FDA lifted restrictions related to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), making it possible for many who previously couldn’t donate to now give blood.

If you’ve never tried to donate because of time spent in Europe, now’s your chance to help save lives.

👉 Visit UPHphealthSystem.com/Regional-Blood-Center to schedule your appointment with the UP Regional Blood Center today.

06/25/2025

📢 Important Update for Blood Donors

The FDA has revised its guidelines for blood donation, and the UP Regional Blood Center has updated its donor questionnaire to align with these changes. All donors—regardless of gender or sexual orientation—will now answer the same set of health-related questions.

This inclusive, science-based approach helps ensure a safe blood supply while treating every donor with dignity and respect.

🩸 Donating blood is a simple, lifesaving act. If you’re eligible, please consider making an appointment to donate. Thank you for supporting our lifesaving mission—your donation truly makes a difference in the lives of patients in our community.

To learn more, schedule a donation, find an upcoming blood drive, or host one at your facility, visit:
🔗 UPHealthSystem.com/Regional-Blood-Center

🔍 Read the full update:
https://www.uphealthsystem.com/posts/fda-updates-blood-donor-eligibility-guidelines

UP Health System – Marquette is pleased to share an important update that supports a more inclusive and equitable blood donation process, following recent changes from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has revised its blood donor eligibility guidelines to focus on individual ris...

06/24/2025

📸 Pictured: Mrs. Rhonda Carey with two of her amazing student volunteers from Iron Mountain High School 💉❤️

After 30 remarkable years of service, we’re celebrating and saying a heartfelt farewell to Mrs. Rhonda Carey—our most dedicated Red Cord coordinator and a true community hero.

Each year, thanks to her leadership, Iron Mountain High School consistently leads the Upper Peninsula in the number of students earning Red Cords—a symbol of young donors making a life-saving difference.

Over the course of her career, Rhonda has organized nearly 70 blood drives, helping collect more than 2,100 pints of blood—enough to potentially save up to 6,300 lives.

She didn’t just coordinate blood drives. She inspired a movement.

Her tireless work has shaped a culture of compassion, service, and civic responsibility among generations of students. While we’ll deeply miss working with Rhonda, we know her legacy will live on in the lives she’s helped save—and in every student she empowered to give back.

Thank you, Rhonda, for your extraordinary impact. You’ve truly made our community stronger, and we are better because of you. 💙

06/18/2025

A heartfelt farewell and a huge thank you to Cathy Moffat! ❤️

After 15 years of dedicated service as our blood drive coordinator in Newberry, Cathy is retiring. Her passion for the need for blood and tireless efforts, making calls, recruiting donors and organizing drives, has truly made a difference in our community.

Her final blood drive was one to remember, with 28 donors showing up to give the gift of life.

Thank you, Cathy, for your incredible commitment to saving lives across the U.P. You will be deeply missed! 🩸

Interested in donating or hosting a blood drive?
Visit UPHealthSystem.com/regional-blood-center to learn how you can help.