News
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UP Health System – Portage Heroes | Jamie Klotz
May 02, 2025What is your role at UPHS – Portage? I am the Infection Preventionist and Assistant Director of Nursing at our long-term care facility, PortagePointe. What was your inspiration for getting into healthcare? My grandma. She was in healthcare herself and always expressed that there were so many avenues and opportunities. I enjoyed relating...
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UP Health System – Marquette Names Two Vice Presidents of Operations
May 02, 2025MARQUETTE, Mich. (May 2, 2025) — UP Health System – Marquette (UPHS – Marquette) has announced the appointment of two experienced health care leaders, Jason Collins, Ph.D., MBA-HCA, RN, NEA-BC, CCRN-K, and Polly Hockberger, M.S., MLS (ASCP)CM, as vice presidents of operations. These additions to the executive leadership team reflect...
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UPHS – Marquette Heroes | Tori Jurkanis
May 02, 2025What is your role at UPHS – Marquette? I am a team lead of patient access at UP Health System – Marquette. What was your inspiration for getting into healthcare? I have always wanted to work in healthcare. Patients come here on their worst days, it can make a huge difference having a...
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UP Health System – Portage Earns an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group
May 01, 2025UP Health System – Portage (UPHS – Portage) earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit watchdog focused on patient safety. Leapfrog assigns an A, B, C, D or F grade to general hospitals across the country based on...
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UPHS – Marquette Heroes | Sally Robie
April 25, 2025What is your role at UPHS – Marquette? I am a quality management assistant at UP Health System – Marquette. What was your inspiration for getting into healthcare? I was always interested in the medical/legal transcription field and did some training in that area. When I lived in New York, I worked for the...
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UP Health System – Marquette welcomes Kimberlee Parks, PA-C, specializing in vascular surgery
April 22, 2025UP Health System – Marquette is pleased to welcome physician assistant Kimberlee Parks, PA-C, to the Heart and Vascular team. Specializing in vascular surgery, Parks plays a crucial role in the perioperative care of patients—assisting in surgical procedures, managing pre- and post-operative care and ensuring optimal patient outcomes. A Marquette native,...
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UP Health System – Portage Achieves Acute Stroke Ready Hospital Certification
April 18, 2025HANCOCK, Mich (April 18, 2025) — UP Health System – Portage (UPHS – Portage) has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Acute Stroke Ready Hospital Certification. UPHS – Portage underwent a rigorous onsite review on March 10 as part of the process to achieve…
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UP Health System – Portage Heroes | Brad Lawton, PT
April 18, 2025What is your role at UPHS – Portage? I am a physical therapist and the rehab supervisor at UP Health System – Portage. What was your inspiration for getting into healthcare? I love helping others, and this profession gives me the opportunity to do that daily. I also have a big interest in athletics, and this profession gives me opportunities to work closely…
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UPHS – Marquette Heroes | Skylar Hamilton
April 17, 2025What is your role at UPHS – Marquette? I am a clinical data abstractor and recipient rights alternate at UP Health System – Marquette. What was your inspiration for getting into healthcare? I always had an interest in healthcare, but it was a former co-worker of mine who convinced me to take the leap. He told me the following, which really influenced my…
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UPHS – Marquette Heroes | Toni, RN
April 09, 2025What is your role at UPHS – Marquette? I am a registered nurse on the adult behavioral unit at UP Health System – Marquette (UPHS – Marquette). What was your inspiration for getting into healthcare? I was exploring different majors while bartending when my landlord, a gastrointestinal nurse, recommended I go into nursing. I transferred to community…
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UP Health System – Bell CEO Mitch Leckelt to Retire
April 08, 2025Healthcare veteran plans to step down in June;Bell and Marquette facilities to unite under new leadership structure UP Health System announced today that Mitch Leckelt plans to retire June 1 following more than 11 years as chief executive officer (CEO) of UP Health System – Bell (“Bell”). Following Leckelt’s departure, Tonya Darner, CEO of UP…
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UPHS – Marquette Heroes | Ellen Cadenas, MPH, RD
April 04, 2025What is your role at UPHS – Marquette? I am an inpatient Registered Dietitian at UP Health System – Marquette. What was your inspiration for getting into healthcare? I was a competitive gymnast growing up and active in other sports, too, so health and nutrition were always important to me. While I was in school for dietetics my focus was in public…
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UPHS – Portage Heroes | Dillon Velmer, RN
April 04, 2025What is your role at UPHS – Portage? I am a nursing supervisor at UP Health System – Portage (UPHS – Portage). What was your inspiration for getting into healthcare? I enjoy working with people and healthcare seemed like a great job to do that. I also thought it would be a good career to be able to work anywhere, but most importantly to get a good job…
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UPHS – Marquette Heroes | Cory Blight
March 26, 2025What is your role at UPHS – Marquette? I am the Core Lab Manager at UP Health System – Marquette. What was your inspiration for getting into healthcare? I knew that I wanted to help people and stay local coming out of high school and the Lab seemed like a perfect fit. What's a typical day like for you? What is it like working in this field? My…
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UP Health System – Marquette Heroes | Ashley Childs and Shumete Sam
March 21, 2025What is your role at UPHS – Marquette? Ashley Childs: I am a Medical Assistant with UP Health System – Marquette Sleep Medicine. Shumete Sam: I am a Certified Medical Assistant with UP Health System – Marquette Sleep Medicine. What was your inspiration for getting into healthcare? Ashley Childs: Growing up, I always had the…
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UPHS – Marquette Heroes | Robyn Demeuse
March 14, 2025What is your role at UPHS – Marquette? I am the Clinic Care Manager at UP Health System – Marquette | Doctor’s Park. What was your inspiration for getting into healthcare? I started out with going on local emergency fire/EMS calls with my hubby when we were first married. I took the EMT-basic class through UP Health System School of EMT years ago and…
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UPHS – Portage Heroes | Jennifer Jukuri
March 07, 2025What is your role at UPHS – Portage? I am an Executive Assistant at UP Health System – Portage (UPHS – Portage). What was your inspiration for getting into healthcare? Having a strong desire to be able to help individuals within the community. What's a typical day like for you? What is it like working in this field? A typical day in my position…
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UP Health System – Marquette Heroes | Susan Tincknell
March 07, 2025What is your role at UPHS – Marquette? I am the student program administrator for Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (MSU CHM) Upper Peninsula Region campus at UP Health System – Marquette (UPHS – Marquette). What was your inspiration for getting into healthcare? I was quite young when I started so I think at the time my inspiration…
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Colonoscopy 101: What to Know About This Lifesaving Screening
March 06, 2025Have You Had Your Colonoscopy? If you’re 45 or older, you’ve likely heard this question from a doctor, a family member or a health-conscious friend. More than 50,000 people die from colon cancer each year in the United States, and the disease often has no early symptoms. That’s why most people should talk with their health care provider about a…
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Donate Blood, Save Lives – Now More Important Than Ever
March 04, 2025Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, making blood donation a simple yet powerful way to save lives. However, maintaining a stable blood supply can be challenging due to seasonal factors such as holiday schedules, winter weather disruptions and seasonal respiratory illnesses like the flu, RSV and COVID. Wondering what you can do? We have the…
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