THUNDER BAY — The agency that coordinates the province's air ambulance system is partnering with Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre to launch what it calls the first "Blood on Board" program in Northern Ontario.
Starting in April, aircraft operated by Ornge will be equipped with products from the hospital's blood bank, thereby allowing paramedics to quickly administer potentially lifesaving transfusions to patients who are hours away from the closest hospital.
Blood products from the hospital will be stored in specialized coolers designed for their storage and transport, and their temperatures will be monitored constantly up to the time of transfusion.
Ornge CEO Homer Tien travelled to Thunder Bay to make the announcement at the Ornge base at Thunder Bay Airport.
Tien said the arrangement will save the lives of residents living in remote communities across the North.
"In some, they have nursing stations with no ability to transfuse blood ... For us to get there with full capability is very important."
Hemorrhage is a leading cause of death in traumatically-injured individuals, and research shows that early blood transfusions can improve the chances of survival.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation officials welcomed the announcement of the new initiative.
"We have lost too many members to preventable deaths as a result of inequitable health services in the remote North, but acknowledge that medevacs are a lifeline," deputy Grand Chief Victor Linklater said.
Linklater expressed gratitude to Ornge, the hospital, and everyone else involved in the program.
Alvin Fiddler, the health transformation lead for NAN, said it "means a lot for people in our remote areas to have access to this type of treatment when they need it. It's so critical."
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre CEO and President Rhonda Crocker Ellacott said the hospital is happy to collaborate with Ornge and with northern communities.
"Ornge is able to come to our hospital three times a week to pick up blood. We take responsibility for the regulation and the quality. We work in collaborative partnership with Ornge so they can bring those blood services to the region, provide better care, and improve outcomes."
Crocker Ellacott singled out the hospital lab staff for their enthusiastic participation in the program.
"Our lab has been under tremendous pressure throughout the pandemic, with all the COVID-related testing. When [the staff] heard about the opportunity to work with Ornge ... they were thrilled to be able to be a partner because they know it makes a difference in definitive care for patients."
Under a similar Blood on Board program started in Southern Ontario in 2021 between Ornge and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, more than 80 units of blood have been administered to date to over 50 patients.
