Crockett County gets first rural blood program

CROCKETT COUNTY, Tenn. — The Crockett County Ambulance Service can now administer blood to patients before they reach the hospital.

The Tennessee Department of Health EMS board authorized the group.

LIFELINE Blood Services CEO John Miller said this new service is crucial for patients in rural areas.

He said it only takes 30 minutes for a patient to bleed out.

Crockett County Ambulance Service EMS Director, Stephen Sutton said the program was created with the quality of care of patients in mind.

“You know our goal throughout the state is just to begin this process of making in-field transfusions more common in rural areas. We believe that patients should receive the same level of quality of care regardless of where they live. If they live in a big city, they should receive great care. If they live in rural Crockett County, they should receive quality care,” Sutton said.

Sutton said they’re partnered with LIFELINE Blood Services for their blood supply. So when you donate blood, you aren’t just serving the 21 counties that LIFELINE takes blood for, but also helping to keep their life-saving program going as well.

You can read the full news release here.

Find more news out of Crockett County here.