Guilford EMS launches whole blood field program

Guilford County Emergency Services has launched a whole blood program that expands trauma-care capability before patients reach the hospital.

The county says Guilford EMS is working with the Cone Health Blood Bank after more than a year of planning. Specially trained paramedics can administer whole blood to select critical trauma patients in the field, a step intended to improve long-term survival and outcomes when major bleeding is involved.

Guilford County says fewer than 400 of roughly 15,000 EMS agencies in the United States carry whole blood or blood products. With this launch, the county describes Guilford EMS as the first large urban EMS system in North Carolina to implement a pre-hospital whole blood program.

The operational change matters across Greensboro and Guilford County because trauma response is time-sensitive. Supervisor trucks have been modified with specialized coolers that keep blood products at the required temperatures for field administration.

Source: Guilford County press release, 'Guilford County Emergency Services Begins Whole Blood Pre-hospital Program' (May 15, 2026), guilfordcountync.gov.