VIDEO: EMS officials in the city of Chester announced a new service that could save lives. The EMS company serving the city and surrounding areas just brought in a new addition: blood. Paramedics with VMSC Emergency Medical Services will now be able to administer whole blood transfusions in an ambulance or even in someone’s home. “Patients who can receive blood within the first few minutes have a much higher outcome of surviving that incident,” said VMSC Emergency Medical Services Chief Executive Officer Shane Wheeler. Only 1% of ground ambulance providers in the country are able to do whole blood transfusions. “What we are able to do now is bring that first 10-15 minutes of trauma center care — where the patient is getting blood to get them stable — we’re able to bring that forward to the field and make that happen,” said VMSC Emergency Medical Services Medical Director Dr. Ryan Overberger.
