UP Health System – Portage to transition Portage Apothecary to Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center

HOUGHTON and HANCOCK, Mich. (April 8, 2026) — UP Health System – Portage today announced an agreement to transition ownership of Portage Apothecary, the retail pharmacies currently owned by UP Health System – Portage, to Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center.

Patients and the community will continue to have access to pharmacy services without interruption, and this transition will include the two retail pharmacy locations and the nursing home pharmacy. No changes to current staffing or hours of operation are planned, and Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center intends to hire all current employees, pending standard employment screenings. Both organizations are working collaboratively to ensure a seamless transition for patients, employees and the community. 

“UP Health System – Portage is committed to providing high-quality, compassionate care to the communities we serve,” said Ryan Heinonen, CEO of UP Health System – Portage. “This transition allows us to maintain access to pharmacy services locally while continuing to focus on our core healthcare services.”

“Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center is proud to expand our pharmacy services and continue serving patients in the Copper Country,” said Trevor Hodges, CEO of Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center. “We are committed to ensuring a smooth transition and maintaining the high level of service patients expect.”

The transition is expected to take place early this summer, pending final approvals. Additional details will be shared as they become available.

UP Health System – Portage has served Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula since 1896. It supports a multispecialty medical community with more than 40 physicians and over a dozen allied health professionals. The main campus features a 36-bed hospital, accredited as a Chest Pain Center by the American College of Cardiology and certified as an Acute Stroke Ready Hospital by Joint Commission. UP Health System – Portage is designated a Level III trauma center by the state of Michigan and the American College of Surgeons.

Services include a 24-hour emergency department staffed by board-certified emergency medicine physicians; an intensive care unit; a family birthing center; cardiopulmonary care; elective and emergency orthopedics; women’s health; general surgery; robotic surgery; hematology and oncology; internal medicine; urology; sports medicine; rehabilitation; and diagnostic imaging, including MRI, mobile PET, a 64-slice CT scanner, nuclear imaging and 3D mammography. Additional offerings include an advanced wound care center, sleep lab, two Express Care walk-in clinics, a regional dialysis unit, pharmacy and laboratory services, home care and a 60-bed senior living community.

About Upper Great Lakes Family Health

Upper Great Lakes Family Health (UGL) is a Federally Qualified Health Center with seventeen clinic locations across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, dedicated to providing high-quality medical, dental, and behavioral health services to rural communities regardless of ability to pay. UGL employs more than 250 healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, clinical support staff, and administrative staff. As a non-profit, patient-governed, and taxpayer-supported organization, UGL is committed to improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves. For more information, visit uglhealth.org.