VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — In times of an emergency, every second counts.
No one knows this better than first responders, and for personnel working at Virginia Beach's Emergency Medical Services, a new program is helping them to do their jobs.
"I've been tracking it this entire time, and it's certainly been successful," said Will Shackelford, a Captain with Virginia Beach EMS.
Back in 2022, the Tidewater EMS Council decided to allow Virginia Beach paramedics to administer 'whole blood' to people while on the way to a hospital.
This way, those suffering from traumatic or medical injuries have a greater likelihood of surviving until hospital staff can reach them.
Nearly two years later, Virginia Beach EMS leaders said they are seeing the results of their efforts.
"About 50% of those patients who have gotten blood are patients who had some kind of significant traumatic injury, whether it be a gunshot wound or a stabbing, or a significant traffic accident," said Shackelford. "Of all those emergencies, those patients have survived."
According to the latest numbers, 92.7% of the people who have received this emergency blood have survived and were eventually able to get discharged from the hospital.
Virginia Beach EMS was the first city in Hampton Roads to use the program, and Shackleford said several other cities have since adopted it following their success.
"I think another five cities are also doing it too now," said Shackleford. "It's just great that we can help people immediately, who really need that help, and really help them in the long run."
In order to get some of that blood, they need donations. The Tidewater EMS Council plans to hold quarterly blood drives. You can register online.
