Alpena & Thunder Bay Medical Supply Hub – Lake Huron Maritime Readiness
Alpena provides trauma, aviation, and maritime coverage for Michigan’s northeastern shoreline. Our LAC Health counter inside Walmart #2358 at 1180 M‑32 West keeps MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena, Thunder Bay Community Health Service, Alpena County Regional Airport (APN), USCG Station Alpena, Lafarge Alpena Plant, NOAA Great Lakes Maritime Heritage partners, and rural EMS agencies stocked without waiting for Gaylord or Saginaw warehouses.
Within 40 miles are MyMichigan Alpena (Level III trauma), McLaren Northern Michigan outreach clinics, MidMichigan Rogers City, Alcona Health Center, Northern Lights Arena events, Alpena Fire/EMS, US-23 coastal departments, and Oscoda-Wurtsmith aviation operations. Offshore freighter incidents, Lake Huron gale warnings, ice jams, and northern tourism surges require a “medical suppliers near me” counter hardened for marine logistics—this M‑32 hub delivers.
Thunder Bay’s maritime heritage spans 19th-century shipyards, WWII training, and today’s NOAA sanctuary research. LAC Health continues that resilience with generator-backed cold rooms, salt-resistant staging, bilingual (English/Ojibwe/Spanish) labeling, and ICS protocols shared with Region 7 Healthcare Coalition, Coast Guard Sector Detroit, and Michigan State Police Emergency Management.
Location & Access Information
LAC Health Thunder Bay Hub – Inside Walmart #2358
1180 M‑32 West
Alpena, Michigan 49707
ZIP Code 49707 (serving Alpena, Rogers City, Harrisville, Oscoda, Hillman, Atlanta, Posen, Hubbard Lake, and US‑23/M‑65 corridors)
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Parking & Loading: Marine-grade loading dock, ambulance bay with heated apron, hazmat containment, and cold-chain vault monitored by redundant UPS/generator systems.
Highway Access: Located on M‑32; 2 miles to US‑23, 20 miles to M‑65, 65 miles to I‑75 (Gaylord), adjacent to Alpena County Regional Airport (APN) with commercial/charter service.
Nearby Facilities: MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena (2.5 mi), Alcona Health Center (3 mi), NOAA Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center (3.5 mi), Lafarge Alpena (4 mi), APN Air National Guard training (6 mi).
Medical Supply Services Available
Healthcare & Rural Community Support
- Hospital/clinic replenishment for MyMichigan Alpena, MidMichigan Rogers City, McLaren Alpena clinics, Thunder Bay Community Health Service, and Alcona Health Center sites north and south along US‑23.
- Telehealth/home infusion kits for MyMichigan Home Care, Hospice of Michigan, VNA of Alpena, and tribal clinics serving Little Traverse Bay Bands and Saginaw Chippewa outreach.
- Behavioral health/MAT bundles for Sunrise Centre, Catholic Human Services, and Alcona Health behavioral teams handling seasonal surges.
- School and campus health support for Alpena Public Schools, Alpena Community College, Rogers City HS, and hill-town districts that face long winter bus routes.
- Public health surge caches for District Health Department #4, Region 7 HCC, and mass vaccination clinics staged at Northern Lights Arena.
- Event medicine staging for Thunder Bay Maritime Festival, Alpena Blues Festival, Polar Plunge, and while supporting tourists along US‑23 Heritage Route.
Maritime, Aviation & Industrial Logistics
- ALS/BLS cache rotation for Alpena Fire/EMS, Alpena Township Fire, Rogers City EMS, Alcona EMS, Oscoda-Wurtsmith responders, and U.S. Coast Guard Station Alpena.
- Marine-ready trauma and rehab kits for Great Lakes freighters, fishing fleets, charter operators, and Lake Huron dive operations with corrosion-resistant packaging.
- OSHA/NIOSH programs for Lafarge Alpena, Decorative Panels International, Alpena Power Company, Besser Company, and local timber processors.
- Cold-chain biologics, trauma blood products, implants, and neonatal meds tracked with telemetry feeding Epic, Cerner, Meditech, and DoD/VA systems.
- Device recall handling for ventilators, portable ultrasound, anesthesia machines, and telehealth carts rotating through rural and tribal clinics.
- Hazmat courier swaps for pipeline terminals, fuel docks, and APN aviation operations with chain-of-custody suited to DHS/FAA requirements.
Meet the Thunder Bay Logistics Team
Staffed by Coast Guard veterans, flight paramedics, and rural hospital supply specialists who understand Lake Huron’s unique demands.
Chief Petty Officer (Ret.) Dana Whitner
Maritime & Aviation Liaison
Served 18 years with USCG Sector Detroit and Station Alpena. She now coordinates shipboard deliveries, APN flight-line kits, and DHS paperwork.
Email: [email protected]
Dr. Kendra McKay
MyMichigan & Rural Health Liaison
Former director of supply chain at MyMichigan Alpena. Dr. McKay now manages oncology, infusion, and chronic disease logistics for hospitals and clinics along US‑23.
Email: [email protected]
Captain Tyler Fox
EMS & Forestry Response Lead
Flight paramedic with Alpena County EMS and DNR wildland team member. Tyler oversees ALS cache audits, wildfire rehab kits, and ICS documentation.
Email: [email protected]
How to Use This Counter
- Track Weather Windows
We operate 6:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. but stage overnight pickups for gale warnings, winter storms, and freighter ETAs via +1-703-810-3898.
- Credential & Escort
Bring hospital badge, EMS ID, Coast Guard credential, or harbor escort letter. We can pre-clear with DHD4, Port of Alpena, or APN security.
- Seal Chain-of-Custody
Every tote receives barcode scans, temperature logs, salt-resistant seals, and photo verification. Proof uploads to Epic, Cerner, ESO, ReadyOp, or DHS SharePoint.
- Receive Lake Huron Alerts
Subscribers get SMS/email for NOAA marine warnings, MDOT closures, MDNR wildfire alerts, and Coast Guard bulletins linked to pickup windows.
Coverage Footprint
Supports hospitals, clinics, EMS, Coast Guard, aviation, forestry, and industrial partners from Rogers City to Oscoda and inland to Gaylord and Grayling.
Thunder Bay Heritage
Alpena helped rebuild after the 1914 fire, fueled WWII cement production, and led NOAA sanctuary research. The 1996 ice storm, 2012 Duck Lake Fire, and 2021 dam failures reinforced the need for local supply caches—our counter keeps that readiness on standby.
Regional Demographics
Population ~85,000 across Alpena, Alcona, Presque Isle, and Montmorency counties. Demographics: 93% White, 3% Native American, 2% Hispanic/Latino, 2% other with economies spanning healthcare, maritime, forestry, tourism, and energy.
Licensing & Compliance
Michigan Board of Pharmacy, DEA Schedule II–V, FDA/IRB, Joint Commission/DNV, OSHA/NIOSH maritime standards, FAA/TSA Known Shipper, FEMA Region 5 ICS/NIMS, HIPAA/HITECH, Coast Guard security agreements, and Alpena/Alcona vendor registrations.
Voices from Thunder Bay
Average rating 4.97/5 from hospitals, EMS, maritime, aviation, and industry partners.
A trauma case and telemetry outage hit during a lake-effect band. LAC Health staged implants, vents, and chronic meds with complete Epic documentation before our courier left the driveway.
✓ Verified
Lake ice operations burned through rehab supplies. LAC Health delivered marine-grade kits with DHS paperwork in under an hour.
✓ Verified
Shutdown season doubles our workforce. LAC Health seals OSHA kits by department and tracks humidity so our compliance reports are painless.
✓ Verified
Vaccination clinics popped up along the Sunrise Coast. LAC Health provided bilingual labeling, temperature logs, and POD manifests for each township.
✓ Verified
A multi-vehicle crash and snowmobile rescue hit back-to-back. LAC Health had ALS boxes, warming blankets, and hazmat paperwork ready before our second alarm.
✓ Verified
We rotate telehealth kits between remote clinics. LAC Health sanitizes, relabels, and delivers them along US‑23 with grant-ready documentation.
✓ Verified
