Tampa General Deploys Nation's First EMS Drone Blood Delivery Program

Tampa General Hospital announced the nation’s first EMS-driven drone program to deliver whole blood to the scene, aiming to cut on-scene transfusion times to under three minutes over a 70-square-mile area in Hillsborough County. The initiative, a collaboration with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, USF Health, OneBlood and Archer First Response Systems, allows first responders to begin transfusions at the scene, potentially improving survival in hemorrhagic trauma. The pilot will operate from two Fire Rescue stations (9 and 37) with plans to expand, and is slated to go online in October 2026 pending Hillsborough County Commission approval.