CUMBERLAND, R.I. – During EMS Week (May 17 to May 23, 2026), local and state leaders gathered on May 21 to recognize a lifesaving response that underscored the power of teamwork, innovation, and preparation in emergency medicine.
On March 4, crews from Lincoln Rescue responded to a pregnant patient suffering from hemorrhagic shock, a life-threatening condition caused by severe blood loss. Recognizing the urgency within moments of arrival, responders requested support from Cumberland EMS — the first agency in Rhode Island equipped to administer pre-hospital whole blood transfusions.
What followed was a coordinated effort involving Lincoln Rescue, Lincoln Fire, dispatch personnel, online medical control, Cumberland EMS, and the Rhode Island Blood Center. Before the patient ever reached the hospital, first responders began a whole blood transfusion in the field, delivering hospital-level care at one of the most critical moments imaginable.
The stakes were exceptionally high. Responders were working to save not one patient, but two: a mother and her unborn child.
Officials said the outcome reflected seamless coordination between EMS clinicians, firefighters, dispatchers, healthcare partners, and blood donors — each playing a vital role in the chain of survival. The call also demonstrated how rapidly pre-hospital medicine has evolved in Rhode Island, where field blood transfusions are becoming a transformative tool in treating severe blood loss.
Cumberland EMS launched the state’s first pre-hospital whole blood program in partnership with the Rhode Island Blood Center in September 2025. The March 4 emergency became one of the clearest examples yet of the program’s impact, showing how minutes saved before hospital arrival can change the course of a medical crisis.
Medical leaders, including Cumberland EMS Chief Scott Dessert, noted that obstetric emergencies account for only a small percentage of pre-hospital blood transfusions nationwide, making the case particularly rare. Despite the severity of the situation — one associated with high maternal and fetal mortality rates — both mother and baby survived and are now doing well.
The patient, Kathryn, spoke emotionally about the care her family received, crediting the responders and the pre-hospital blood transfusion program with saving both her life and her daughter’s life at a ceremony hosted by Cumberland EMS.
“Because of this program and the incredible and compassionate treatment of all the providers, I’m able to be here today, healthy and healing,” she said. “I can continue to be a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife to my amazing husband, and I have the honor of being a mom to two beautiful growing girls. I like to say that in a very unlucky situation, I was extremely lucky with the care I received, and for that I am forever grateful.”
The recognition, attended by Rhode Island Blood Center Executive Director Nicole Pineault, served as a powerful reminder that breakthroughs in emergency medicine depend not only on highly trained professionals, but also on the generosity of blood donors whose donations make programs like pre-hospital transfusion possible.
In addition to this recognition ceremony, Rhode Island Blood Center held blood drives with Cumberland EMS and Charlestown Ambulance & Rescue, both on May 18, in honor of EMS Week.
