Bemidji Rotary Club, Sanford Health set May blood screening event

Bemidji residents will be able to get a $40 blood screening May 13-15 at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center, where this year’s panel adds hemoglobin A1C to help flag diabetes risk earlier.

The annual event, hosted by the Bemidji Rotary Club and Sanford Health, will run from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. each day in the Education Center at 1300 Anne St. NW. Participants should use the east entrance. Appointments are required or preferred, but walk-ins will also be welcome, and fasting is not required.

For the fee, the screening includes a lipid profile with total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL, along with glucose, hemoglobin A1C, creatinine, hemoglobin, white blood cell count and ALT. Sanford said participants will receive an official results report through My Sanford Chart or by mail. The Rotary Club said the $40 covers sample collection, results reporting, professional analysis and a refreshment after the blood draw.

Dr. Steve Rith-Najarian of Sanford Health, who is also a Bemidji Rotary Club member, said the screenings can help identify preventable and treatable conditions and guide opportunities for improving health. The added hemoglobin A1C test gives patients a clearer look at blood sugar control, making the panel more useful for catching concerns before they turn into larger problems.

The blood screening is part of a long-running partnership between Sanford Health and the Bemidji Rotary Club. Lakeland News reported the organizations are teaming up for the 10th year, and in past years the event has helped support local efforts including the Bemidji Police Department’s K9 program and United Way’s Backpack Buddies program.

This year’s proceeds will benefit the YMCA Indoor Playground project, extending the event’s reach beyond lab work and into a project aimed at families in Bemidji. Sanford Bemidji Medical Center, founded in 1898, continues to serve as the local setting for the screening, which gives Beltrami County residents a low-cost chance to check several key health markers in one morning appointment.