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UP Health System's UP Regional Blood Center is a different kind of blood bank — the blood it collects doesn't leave the Upper Peninsula. AT UP REGIONAL BLOOD CENTER, donors and staff alike understand that there is no substitute for blood donation — and that you never know whether it will be you or a loved one on the receiving end. "Blood donations are a constant need in our area, and all the blood we collect is used within the community," says Sallie Coron, coordinator of Blood Collections, UP Regional Blood Center. "We supply blood to 13 area hospitals." Red blood cells extracted from donations can be used for surgical patients or patients who come in with significant trauma, after a serious car accident, for example. e other components of blood — plasma and platelets — are used to help patients with clotting issues. UP Regional Blood Center's Escanaba and Marquette locations collect individual platelet donations, through a process called apheresis, as well as red blood cell donations. K E E PING IT IN THE PE NIN S U L A "Our blood donors are doing us a service," Coron says. "So we want to make it convenient and easy for them to give their fellow community members the gift of life." With five centers in Marquette, Escanaba, Hancock, Iron Mountain and Sault Ste. Marie, as well as mobile blood drives four days a week at various locations, the UP Regional Blood Center offers a wide range of opportunities for those who are looking to help their neighbors. "Not only do we collect blood locally, we're keeping it local and distributing it back to these locations," Coron says. "We use every bit of blood that gets donated, and there is always a need for more." A Gift of LIFE When UP resident Bruce Radloff had an aortic dissection in June 2015, causing his aortic wall to detach and block the blood flow from his heart, UP Regional Blood Center provided blood for the transfusions he needed during surgery. Bruce learned after his procedure that the blood he was given was collected right here in the Upper Peninsula. That's something for which he'll always be grateful. "I would encourage people to donate blood as often as they can," Bruce says. "Blood collected at the UP Regional Blood Center saved my life, and it saves the lives of others in our community." UP Health System's UP Regional Blood Center kind of blood bank — the blood it collects doesn't leave the For upcoming blood drive dates and locations, visit mgh.org and select "Regional Blood Center" under "Services." » L ives L ocal SAVING UP Health System's UP Regional Blood Center is a different kind of blood bank — the blood it collects doesn't leave the ives 15 UPHE ALTHSYSTEM .COM SPRING/SUMMER 2016