Every 2 seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. Blood products are key for planned medical treatments and surgeries, and they also play a pivotal role in emergencies. This May, we observe National Trauma Awareness Month and Stop the Bleed Day by exploring the role blood donation plays in traumatic incident preparedness and response.
National Trauma Awareness Month brings attention to injury prevention, highlights the importance of trauma response, and honors trauma survivors. The 2026 theme “Stay Focused. Stay Safe.” emphasizes how a single moment of distraction can place any of us at risk. But beyond situational awareness, staying focused includes dedication to trauma preparedness and response.
For blood centers like We Are Blood, trauma preparedness includes maintaining a community blood supply, expanding access to prehospital blood through our HERO+ program, collaborating with local EMS agencies on initiatives like our recently announced MCI Blood Deployment Plan, and partnering with programs like Stop the Bleed.
From Bystander to Lifesaver
The number one cause of preventable death after injury is bleeding. The Stop the Bleed campaign was initiated by a federal interagency workgroup convened by the National Security Council Staff to address this. A collaborative effort was led by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) to bring knowledge of bleeding control to the public and build national resilience.
Thursday, May 21 is Stop the Bleed Day, highlighting the importance of intervention when minutes matter.
Stop the Bleed is the largest global provider of bleeding control training, with 5 million people trained across 168 countries. This past year, We Are Blood staff participated in Stop the Bleed training, learning three basic actions to control severe bleeding. These skills can be essential in responding to everyday emergencies or natural disasters. Stop the Bleed aims to help you “go from bystander to lifesaver.”
When Minutes Matter
We Are Blood knows that by receiving a blood transfusion in the field, your chance of survival is significantly increased. This is why we began partnering with local EMS agencies in 2019 so their paramedics could perform pre-hospital transfusions in the field. Since then, hundreds of local patients have received lifesaving pre-hospital transfusions thanks to the HERO+ program.
In educating on Trauma Awareness Month, Blood Centers of America shares, “…swift access to blood products before patients reach the hospital is a key factor in improving survival rates, particularly for those enduring traumatic injuries.”
We Are Blood’s work to expand in-the-field support continued in 2025 with the collaborative development of a Mass Casualty Incident Blood Deployment Plan. In partnership with Austin Travis County Emergency Medical Services, a thorough response plan was drafted, tested, and put into action. This plan expands upon previous work to ensure every unit is transfused safely and efficiently in a fast-moving, high-pressure environment where multiple lives are on the line.
Stay Focused. Stay Safe.
This May, we encourage our community to stay focused through awareness, advocacy, and action. With simple actions like situational awareness, emergency preparedness, and regular blood donation, we can reduce incidents of traumatic injury and improve outcomes for patients when minutes matter.
We Are Blood is proud to collaborate within the community to help individuals and communities recover and thrive. And we want to celebrate the perseverance of trauma survivors and the generosity of our volunteers and donors.
Stay focused and keep our community safe by scheduling your next blood donation today.