The Bemidji Rotary Club has brought back its annual three-day blood screening event in partnership with Sanford Health.

For 8 years, Rotarians have held this event to raise funds and awareness about the importance of monitoring one’s general health.

The blood screening will go through Friday and costs $35, with the funds raised being split between the Bemidji Rotary Club and Sanford Health. The blood screening includes a lipid profile and checks for signs of infection, anemia and pre-diabetes. Kidney and liver functions are also screened.

Over the years, volunteers and workers have seen a rise in old and new faces supporting their health and Bemidji Rotary.

“We have a mixture of people that come. Many have been doing it for years. They look forward to it every year,” said Marilyn Miller, Bemidji Rotarian and the chair of the blood screening event. “It’s all ages. We have young people and we have the whole gamut.”

“We end up with over 500 people through the course of three days,” added Sanford Health Medical Center Laboratory Supervisor Todd Glen. “It’s getting a little more popular. And so the numbers keep going up and up a little big, which is great. And that gives an opportunity for people to get the testing they need. It also really helps out the Rotary with their events.”

It is often recommended people fast for about 12 hours before getting their blood drawn for accurate results.

To schedule an appointment at the blood screening, call (218) 333-2277. Test results usually come back within a few hours and will be sent to a patient’s MyChart app or can be mailed.

By — Mary Balstad