Jordan Beck | Daily Press Carrie Bartel-Petrin, membership sales manager with Valley Med Flight, left, checks Escanaba resident Scott Skogman’s temperature outside Valley Med Flight’s Escanaba hangar Wednesday. The Upper Peninsula Health System Regional Blood Center held a blood drive at the hangar that afternoon.

ESCANABA — As the coronavirus pandemic continues, the local need for blood has increased significantly. The Upper Peninsula Health System (UPHS) Regional Blood Center held a blood drive at Valley Med Flight’s hangar in Escanaba Wednesday afternoon.

Carrie Bartel-Petrin, membership sales manager with Valley Med Flight, said the blood drive got off to a strong start. Walk-in donors showed up at the hangar as soon as the event started at noon Wednesday.

“It has already been going very well,” she said near the beginning of the blood drive.

Valley Med Flight originally approached the blood center to discuss the possibility of hosting a blood drive at its hangar earlier in the year.

“I personally reached out to UPHS Regional Blood Center to see if they would be interested in doing this,” Bartel-Petrin said, noting the center was “elated” by the idea.

However, Bartel-Petrin said the planning process for the event was pushed back due to COVID-19.

“We decided to wait until now to host it,” she said.

The Valley Med Flight blood drive was one of many affected by coronavirus. Kelly Varda, a medical lab technician with UPHS Regional Blood Center, said the center has had to cancel blood drives at schools, colleges, businesses and other locations due to the situation.

“That was where we really got hit hard,” she said.

During the first week of Michigan’s lockdown alone, Varda said the center had to cancel three blood drives scheduled at area high schools and a drive at Bay College.

“The need for blood right now is really high — we’re critical on most blood types,” she said.

Since the pandemic is still ongoing, a number of precautions were put into place to make Wednesday’s blood drive as safe as possible for everyone involved.

“We are doing a COVID pre-screening before anyone can come into the building,” Bartel-Petrin said.

Participants were also required to wear masks at the facility.

One of the people who gave blood at Wednesday’s blood drive was Valley Med Flight Program Director Jacob Smith.

“I try to donate as often as I can,” Smith said.

Smith said he was pleased to hold a blood drive at the hangar.

“It’s fantastic … the critical need for blood in the U.P. is at an all-time high, and anything we can do to help that cause, we’re proud to do,” he said.

Bartel-Petrin said she hopes Valley Med Flight will be able to continue working with UPHS Regional Blood Center in the future.

“This is the first of what we hope to be many blood drives at this facility,” she said.

In the meantime, those interested in donating to the blood center will be able to do so at its Escanaba location.

“We have a blood center in the area at Doctors Park,” Varda said.

Varda encouraged would-be donors to call 906-786-8420 to schedule a donation.