'Truly game-changing' program expands to 4 more Central Virginia counties

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — A life-saving whole blood program that has been running in Chesterfield County for several years is now expanding to Hanover, Dinwiddie, Buckingham and Goochland counties.

The program is a partnership between Virginia State Police's Med-Flight program and Chesterfield Fire & EMS. Units of O-positive whole blood are kept stocked in a mini-fridge inside the Virginia State Police hangar in Chesterfield, allowing first responders to administer blood at the scene before a patient reaches a trauma center.

Chesterfield firefighter and flight paramedic Nick Ronesi said the program has been administered 85 times since launching in June 2023 and is more effective than treatments used in the past.

"It allows us to get to the patients that need this intervention. We're able to transport them to the trauma center alive with an appropriate blood pressure to usually go straight into surgery," Ronesi said.

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"It allows us to get to the patients that need this intervention. We're able to transport them to the trauma center alive with an appropriate blood pressure to usually go straight into surgery," Ronesi said.

Ronesi said the program addresses a wide range of trauma cases.

"From internal bleeding, from an illness to bear attacks and anything like that — trauma, accidents, gunshots," Ronesi said.

William Jessee was one of the early recipients after his legs were crushed between two box trucks at a storage facility. Chesterfield firefighters treated him with whole blood at the scene. He reunited with the crew in 2024 to thank them.

"They do it every day and they don't know how grateful people are that they do things for," Jessee said.

Ronesi said reunions like that remind crews why the work matters.

"We don't see the end result. So being able to reacquaint with these people and to see them again is amazing," Ronesi said.

Goochland Fire & Rescue Deputy Chief Mike Watkins said the program has already been deployed nine times since Goochland joined in September. He said incidents in recent years drove home the need for the program in their rural county, where access to a hospital can be tens of minutes away.

"This is truly something that has been game-changing for us," Watkins said.

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Watkins said every minute without whole blood treatment can have serious consequences for a patient.

"We could administer the blood to the patient at the point of injury — that's going to benefit them in the long run. Every minute they go without that, or they go with traditional treatment, potentially has an increase in morbidity, mortality," Watkins said.

Ronesi added that the geographic spread of participating departments means ground crews can administer blood even before the helicopter arrives.

"Being able to have our community partners be able to administer that blood before we even get there, therefore even hopefully shortens that insult, that lower blood pressure, and gets them to that definitive care faster," Ronesi said.

The program is designed to minimize waste. If blood is not used within two weeks, it is returned to a hospital. The geographic spread of participating departments also gives the program a greater reach, including the ability to assist surrounding counties that do not yet have it.

"If the helicopter can't fly and the units are driving into the trauma centers, we can meet them and provide that blood for them," Watkins said.

The program's expansion comes as the American Red Cross has declared an emergency blood shortage. Officials are encouraging anyone who is able to donate blood to do so.

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