Жизнь или смерть: в сельских округах Флориды на скорую помощь начали возить кровь

‘The difference between life and death’: Florida Panhandle county puts blood on ambulances for rural patients Rural EMS agency becomes first in the region to carry blood on ambulances; state officials now working to replicate the model across North Florida JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WTVY) - For residents in rural parts of the Florida Panhandle, the nearest surgeon can be 70 miles away. Jackson County Fire Rescue Chief Charlie Brunner said that reality drove him to act — and the program he built nearly two years ago is now being adopted by nine additional counties. Jackson County is the first rural agency and the fifth in all of Florida to carry pre-hospital blood on ambulances. Brunner said the program was established after crews identified a pattern among patients in the field. “We identified a lot of our patients needed blood, both medical and trauma,” Brunner said. Jackson County’s flight crews already carried blood, but Brunner said weather and maintenance kept helicopters grounded too often. “We needed to put blood on these ambulances,” he said. According to the National Institutes of Health, bleeding out is the leading cause of preventable death in trauma patients. Since launching the program, Brunner said crews have administered blood in the field more than 20 times. “We’ve administered this blood in the field more than 20 times already. And we’ve seen nothing but positive outcomes from this blood administration,” Brunner said. Patients who received blood before reaching a hospital showed lower mortality rates — not only in trauma cases, but in severe emergencies such as internal bleeding. “Meaning that we were allowing these organs to be saved and better perfused for these patients. And just led to better outcomes,” Brunner said. One patient who received blood products twice wrote a letter describing the intervention as “the difference between life and death” and said every minute mattered. Brunner said the program reflects a standard of care rural residents deserve. “These patients, just because you live in a rural area, doesn’t mean that you have substandard care. And so that’s my driving force,” he said. Brunner is working with the state’s EMS office to expand the model to nine more counties. Washington County EMS Director Randy Truette said data from his county made the case for joining. “We identified 118 patients within Washington County that would have greatly benefited from receiving pre-hospital blood products,” Truette said. Truette called the expansion a significant development for the region. “It is probably one of the biggest steps in pre-hospital care that’s come along in quite a while,” he said. “It’s a pretty big deal for the rural counties in the North Florida Panhandle.” The coalition is still working out blood contracts and protocols. Jackson County partners with LifeSouth out of Dothan for its blood supply. Officials said blood donated locally stays local — going to hospitals, helicopters, and ambulances. Download the WTVY News4 app to get alerts and stories the moment they are published. Available for FREE in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store! Copyright 2026 WTVY. All rights reserved.