Paramedics across Pennsylvania can now have a new tool in their ambulances: lifesaving blood products.
“This year, the state of Pennsylvania approved the use and administration of blood products for the management of hemorrhagic shock in EMS services,” said Dr. Bill Jenkins, medical director of Mutual Aid Ambulance Services in Westmoreland County. Hemorrhagic shock is a medical emergency where the body begins to shut down due to heavy blood loss.
Mutual Aid is one of the first ambulance services in the state to carry blood products on board. This inspired Caitlin Parker, an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) at Mutual Aid, to host a blood drive with her colleagues.
“I thought it would be a nice way to give back to the community,” Parker said. “Being an EMT, you see it firsthand – these situations where it's so important that someone has the care they need.”
Caitlin Parker, AEMT
“Statistically, somebody in your family, somebody you know – a close friend, a relative – somebody is going to need blood someday,” Dr. Jenkins said, “and they’re only getting it because somebody showed up to donate it.”
The Mutual Aid blood drive helped the American Red Cross collect 34 units of blood for patients in need. Parker was one of 14 first-time blood donors at the drive.
“If these people could see the patients that we care for and talk to their families and see the impact that their blood donation has for such a small contribution of their time – it’s so worth it,” Dr. Jenkins said.
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