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Calvert County approves Inova memorandum to give paramedics field access to whole blood
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners approved a memorandum of agreement with Inova Healthcare Services to supply low‑titer O whole blood for Calvert County Advanced Life Support supervisors to use on critically bleeding patients; program will begin as a two‑year pilot with supplies rotated biweekly and training for supervisors required.
The Calvert County Board of County Commissioners voted Oct. 7 to authorize a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Inova Healthcare Services that will give county paramedic supervisors access to low‑titer O whole blood for use on patients with life‑threatening hemorrhage.
The MOA, presented by Division Chief Ken Miller and Dr. Jason Finkelstein, the county’s jurisdictional medical director, establishes Inova as the supplier, requires biannual community blood drives to sustain the inventory and sets a biweekly courier rotation to swap units. The commissioners approved the agreement and authorized the commissioner president to sign the MOA.
County officials said the program implements an optional July 2022 Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MEMS) protocol that allows prehospital transfusion of whole blood when clinically indicated and the patient’s blood type is unknown. Dr. Finkelstein told the board that low‑titer O whole blood contains red cells, plasma and platelets and that field transfusion—especially within about 35 minutes of injury—can materially improve survival for patients in hemorrhagic shock.
Calvert Advanced Life Support (CALS) and county EMS will operate the pilot. Chief Christopher Shannon and other CALS representatives said supervisors will carry two units in a monitored portable cooling system that is swapped every two weeks with Inova via a courier; the county will return units before expiration so they can be used in hospital settings. Staff described the program as a pilot for two years and said CALS would cover start‑up costs and operational expenses for the initial years; if sustained demand emerges, county staff said they may request budget support in later years.
Training and safety controls are part of the agreement. Presenters said the in‑service training for each supervisor includes online modules and hands‑on practice, totaling about 15 hours; the county will maintain refrigerated storage, continuous temperature monitoring and redundant alerts to staff if a device deviates outside safe limits. Dr. Finkelstein and paramedic staff said studies and military experience show the transfusion risk is low compared with the likely benefit for patients actively losing life‑threatening blood.
Sheriff Mike Cox and department leaders said the program has local support; commissioners noted the case of Deputy James Flynn, who received blood transfusions after being shot in 2023 and survived, and discussed naming the county blood drive in his honor.
The board approved the motion to authorize the commissioner president to execute the Inova MOA. The vote was recorded by voice and the motion carried.
