Upper Peninsula Regional Blood Center

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.

06/09/2025

We are experiencing a critical shortage of blood across all types and need your help now more than ever. Every donation can save lives, whether it's blood type A, B, AB, or O. If you're healthy and eligible, please consider donating today. Your one donation can save up to three lives.

How You Can Help:
• Donate Today: Visit your regional blood center.
• Share This Post: Spread the word to friends, family, and community networks.
• Learn More: Visit UPHealthSystem.com/regional-blood-center for further information on blood drives, donation procedures and eligibility.

Please, don’t wait. Your time and generosity are invaluable in this life-saving mission. Be a hero. Donate blood.

06/04/2025

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of welcoming LiUNA Local 1329 to our blood center. The Laborers are stepping up to support communities across the Upper Peninsula in many ways—including by hosting a blood drive. To help boost donations, they held a drawing for a chance to win two of these amazing coolers!

Thanks to their generosity and commitment to the community, we were able to collect 21 units of blood!

If you are interested in learning more about donating blood, visit our webpage: https://www.uphealthsystem.com/regional-blood-center.

05/29/2025

🩸 Critical Need for Blood Donations 🩸

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

05/14/2025

Next week, in Celebration of EMS Week… Give the Gift of Life! 🩸

Join us Friday, May 23, from 11 AM – 3 PM in the Main Concourse as UP Health System – Marquette EMS proudly hosts a blood drive with the UP Regional Blood Center.

This EMS Week, honor our local heroes by helping save lives. Every donation stays in the Upper Peninsula, supporting patients in all 12 UP hospitals.

Let’s celebrate EMS Week by making a lifesaving impact together!

Learn more about this event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/552265664601494

04/30/2025

We are proud to recognize Alyse Trapani, a senior at Marquette Senior High School, who recently received her Red Cord. Trapani donated her fourth unit of blood during her high school career and brought her grandmother, Cynthia, to give the fifth donation needed to qualify for this special honor.

The Red Cord is awarded to students who donate blood five times during high school or who recruit friends and family members to donate on their behalf. It is a meaningful milestone that celebrates a commitment to helping others and saving lives.

Trapani’s dedication is especially important at a time when the number of young blood donors is steadily declining. In the United States, 45% of blood donations come from people over age 50. Only 10% come from individuals ages 23 to 29, and just 12% from those in their 30s.

To ensure a safe and adequate blood supply in the future, more young people are needed to step up and become regular donors. Trapani is a great example of how one person—and one family—can make a difference.

Be the reason someone lives. Donate blood.

To learn more, make an appointment or find a blood drive near you, visit UPHealthSystem.com/Regional-Blood-Center.