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DENTON – Caroline County’s Department of Emergency Services marked a major milestone this week with the official launch of a new whole blood program, which allows for Caroline’s first responders to administer whole blood to patients in critical emergencies. The program’s kick off came just in time for Emergency Services Appreciation Week.
The whole blood was delivered by the Blood Bank of Delmarva to Caroline’s EMS headquarters in Denton on Monday, May 18. This makes Caroline County only the tenth ground-based EMS system in Maryland to implement a prehospital whole blood program, and DES Director Mark Sheridan said only 3% of systems nationwide have access to whole blood in the field.
The initiative allows specially trained paramedics to administer Low Titer Type O Positive whole blood directly to severely injured or ill patients before they arrive at a hospital, potentially saving valuable minutes in life-threatening emergencies. For Caroline County, where there is no hospital emergency department or freestanding emergency room, DES officials emphasized that those minutes matter.
“You gotta do medicine as a paramedic in this county,” said Department of Emergency Services Director Mark Sheridan during the Caroline County Commissioners’ May 19 meeting, “You can't hide…you've got to take care of people, you can't run to a hospital.”
The program was developed over several months with support from The Caroline Foundation and in partnership with organizations including the Blood Bank of Delmarva, Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services, Sussex County Department of Public Safety EMS Division, Cecil County Emergency Services, and the Caroline County Health Department. “The Caroline Foundation was good to us,” said Sheridan. Caroline County DES also announced plans to host a future community blood drive in partnership with the Blood Bank of Delmarva to help support a sustainable blood supply for the new program.
Dr. Kyle Fratta, EMS Medical Director for Caroline County Department of Emergency Services, called the initiative “a major advancement in prehospital emergency care for Caroline County and the Eastern Shore.” “The ability to deliver blood at the patient’s side before hospital arrival has the potential to save lives and improve outcomes for critically injured and ill patients,” Dr. Fratta said in a release announcing the program.
During Tuesday’s Commissioners meeting, county officials issued a proclamation recognizing Emergency Services Appreciation Week, which honors 911 specialists, EMTs, paramedics, firefighters, training educators, administrators, and support personnel across the county’s emergency response system. Emergency Medical Services Division Chief KJ Marvel thanked county residents, taxpayers, volunteers, and staff for supporting the department’s growth. “We couldn’t do all of this without you,” she said.
As for Caroline’s emergency response staff and volunteers, “They give 110% every day they come to work,” Marvel said.
Commissioner Larry Porter praised the dedication of local emergency responders, saying, “The care, giving, compassion…it matters at the most crucial time…Thank you for showing up and taking care of our citizens.”
Caroline County paramedic Lt. Kevin Gillespie said the department has transformed dramatically in recent years thanks to the efforts of the county government to invest in strong leadership, “You’ve got leaps and bounds from where [the department] was just five years ago,” Gillespie said, “High performance systems in rural areas are hard to come by, and you’ve got that.”
Also in attendance was Nancy Weishaupt, the first Caroline County DES employee to retire with a full 25 years of service to the county.
“We're on the path, and well on the path, of being a cutting-edge evidence-based medical system,” said Dr. Fratta.
