Clay County signs commitment to statewide pre-hospital whole-blood program

Clay County commissioners on Feb. 10 authorized staff to sign a letter of commitment to the Florida Department of Health supporting a statewide pre-hospital whole-blood program designed to enable paramedics to deliver blood transfusions on scene for trauma patients.

"The easy way to describe it is that as many of us are familiar with what we see in a battlefield situation ... the same is being rolled out almost a statewide basis," Fire Chief Lauren Mach told the board, explaining the county's intent to secure contracts with a vendor for whole blood and to organize delivery and exchange so blood supplies are rotated before expiration.

Mach estimated initial implementation costs at around $50,000 to purchase refrigerators, warmers and field equipment and to set up an exchange program with a blood bank. She said crews cannot reliably test blood type on scene, so systems use universal-donor products and exchange arrangements to manage shelf life.

The item passed on a motion and second; the county manager noted the letter was prepared for signature by the chair because of the program's urgency. Staff said the state governor had proposed an appropriation of $14.6 million in the 2026–27 budget to support statewide program development and that the letter of commitment demonstrates local interest.

The county described next steps as finalizing vendor contracts, establishing refrigeration and warming equipment on specified units, and integrating whole-blood delivery into community paramedicine or other field resources.

The board voted to approve the commitment letter and asked staff to return with implementation details and cost tracking.