Photo of the Week: Whole blood takes off in Va.

Mecklenburg County Emergency Services/Facebook

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, Va. — Mecklenburg County Emergency Services has launched a whole blood program that will allow paramedics to begin transfusions for patients with life-threatening blood loss before they reach a hospital.

On Facebook, the department said the program went into service after the agency received its first two units of whole blood from the Virginia State Police and Chesterfield Fire & EMS MedFlight 1 base in Chesterfield County.

Officials said the capability is intended to improve outcomes for critically injured trauma patients by allowing blood replacement to begin at the scene or during transport.

The launch followed months of planning, training and coordination with regional partners, including Chesterfield Fire & EMS, Virginia State Police MedFlight 1, the Old Dominion EMS Alliance and Inova Blood Donor Services.

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