BCEHS blood initiative receives additional funding
BC Emergency Health Services’ (BCEHS) blood-on-board programme has received a $40,000 boost
The initiative has received two $20,000 grants – one from the Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) Foundation, and another from the Kamloops Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) Foundation.
The funds will go towards the continued provision of blood supplies onboard BCEHS aircraft in British Columbia’s Interior and Okanagan regions.
BCEHS stated that since the blood-on-board program was launched in the Interior and Okanagan regions in the summer of 2022, there have been four out-of-hospital transfusions. However, the program would theoretically allow for hundreds of patients to receive emergency-use blood products if needed.
The initiative is part of British Columbia’s province-wide program, which has provided 112 patients with access to pre-hospital transfusions since its establishment in 2019.
Ascent Helicopters recently received a contract to supply six air ambulance helicopters to BCEHS.