ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) - A $10 million program funded by the Texas Legislature to save lives before patients reach the hospital has arrived in the Permian Basin.

Medical Center Hospital is now offering a prehospital whole blood pilot program, putting lifesaving blood supplies directly on regional ambulances.

The initiative equips regional emergency medical services with whole blood units, allowing paramedics to initiate critical treatment in the field during transport."If we're able to put more blood out to the region on the ambulance services companies... there's a lot of different studies that show if they get blood, if they have some type of life-threatening bleeding, if they are able to get the blood faster then we can save lives," said Sirena Watts, Trauma Program Director at Medical Center Hospital.