Madison County EMS begins prehospital blood program after private donation; used twice since March

Madison County Emergency Medical Services told the Board of Commissioners that it launched a prehospital blood product program in March 2024 after a local family donated money to reduce startup costs, and that crews have used the product on two recent calls.

The program matters because uncontrolled bleeding is a leading cause of preventable death in trauma, EMS Director Bobby Smith told the board, and early blood administration can reduce the amount of hospital blood a patient needs.

Smith said the county pursued the program after conversations over several years with the regional EMS council and the Georgia Trauma Commission and after learning of a pilot at Grady Memorial Hospital. A local family provided $14,000 toward the project; Smith said equipment and related costs were reduced to about $8,500 through sourcing and partner support. He said plasma units cost about $50 each and whole blood about $550.

“We started off with plasma,” Smith said. “March of 2024 we actually went live with our blood products.” He described a portable cooler system that maintains 1–5 degrees Celsius, a temperature-monitoring module with remote alerts, a warming device and a specialized drip set required for administration. Smith said the system can be deployed within five minutes from the supervisor vehicle.

Smith reported that crews have administered the product twice in the past two weeks. On one call, the patient required no additional blood at the hospital and was discharged the next day; on the other, the patient received additional units at the hospital. Smith said prehospital administration “cuts down on the amount that is needed in hospital.”

He described training and licensure requirements: paramedics required additional post-licensure training and hours of instruction with the blood bank, the Georgia Trauma Commission and the medical director, Dr. Adam White. The county began with a small, tightly controlled group of seven employees (two per shift) and supervisors who will carry the product; Smith said the goal is 24-hour availability on a supervisor unit and ultimately placement at two stations on opposite ends of the county.

Smith called availability a limiting factor: the blood bank controls supply and the county must demonstrate safe handling and continued use to justify continued allocations. He said plasma shelf life and handling rules require rotation of cooler packs and continuous temperature monitoring; if the product is unused and maintained correctly the blood bank can return product credit for replacement.

Discussion at the meeting included questions about how the two uses impacted patient outcomes and how the county planned to expand the service. Commissioners and the chair thanked Smith and his team and encouraged further coordination with the blood bank to build usage history and support expansion.

The presentation did not include a formal vote by the board; it was informational and the board did not take formal action at this meeting.