Letts EMS launches pre-hospital blood transfusion service

Made possible by community support

(GREENSBURG, Ind.) – Letts Fire/EMS now has the ability to provide lifesaving blood transfusions to patients before arriving at the hospital. 

This is the first ambulance service to carry blood products in Southeast Indiana, and it was made possible by community support. 

Letts ambulances will be stocked with O-positive packed red blood cells and liquid plasma. It will allow first responders to administer blood to severely injured patients when every second counts. 

“By carrying blood in the field, we can begin treatment right at the patient’s side. It means we are giving critically injured people a better chance to survive and return home to their families,” said Letts Fire/EMS Operational Medical Director Dan Rauh. 

The agency said the blood products will also be added to their paramedic chase vehicle in Franklin County in the next few weeks. 

They will be stored in a medical-grade cooler that will be easily accessible for first responders. 

"The cooler ensures safe temperature control, reliability, and portability so that blood is always ready when seconds matter," the department added.

Community Support

This new, lifesaving program was made possible through grassroots fundraising as well as some local institutions. 

The department holds a fish fry every year at the Decatur County 4-H Fair. Proceeds from that have been put toward this project. 

Letts Fire/EMS also received a grant from the Decatur County Community Foundation which covered some of the funding for the cooler that will be used in Decatur County. 

The Franklin County Health Department also provided a grant to fund the cooler that will be used in Franklin County. 

“This is what community support makes possible,” said Matt Morrow, Letts Chief and Critical Care Paramedic. “From local fundraisers to county and foundation grants, our partners have invested in cutting-edge pre-hospital care that will save lives right here at home.”

Letts Fire/EMS is also crediting battalion chief Calvin Venable for championing the project and making it a reality. 

According to the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma,  pre-hospital blood transfusion significantly increases the likelihood of patients arriving at the hospital alive and stable enough for life-saving surgery.