Red Cross Marks Trauma Awareness Month

May is Trauma Awareness Month and the American Red Cross is taking the opportunity to urge eligible donors to give blood or platelets to help ensure lifesaving blood platelets are available for trauma patients and others with serious medical needs.

Each year, trauma accounts for about 41 million emergency department visits and 2.3 million hospital admissions in the U.S., according to the National Trauma Institute.

The Red Cross noted that a single car accident victim can need as many as 100 units of blood.

Donors of all blood types are currently needed.

According to the Red Cross, when there is not time to determine a patient’s blood type, like in trauma situations, type O negative blood and type AB plasma are what emergency personnel reach for because they can be given to patients with any blood type.

However, the Red Cross said less than 7 percent of the population has type O negative blood and only about 4 percent of the population has type AB blood.

Blood donation appointments can be scheduled by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org, or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. That is 1-800-733-2767.