HUNTSVILLE – We’ve had Black Friday.
Then Cyber Monday.
But today is perhaps the most important day of the post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas time span.
And, it’s global.
Today is Giving Tuesday.
To celebrate, the Huntsville Hospital Foundation announced that Bentley Buick GMC is matching the first $20,000 donated to this year’s 2024 Giving Tuesday fundraiser, with a goal of funding high-tech blood warmers and infusers for HEMSI – revolutionizing pre-hospital trauma care in Madison County.
“Bentley Buick GMC’s partnership truly amplifies what HHF is able to provide for our not-for-profit hospitals and community,” said HHF Communications Director Katie Coppens. “Thanks to their generosity, donations can go twice as far to help HEMSI save lives through an innovative approach to pre-hospital care: giving blood transfusions before critical trauma patients even arrive at our Huntsville Hospital Level I Trauma Center.”
Blood transfusions during transport were once impossible. For decades, the national pre-hospital standard has simply been to perform limited interventions like IV fluids. But that doesn’t work when the body is losing blood through a trauma wound. The body needs whole blood and the oxygen, warmth, and clotting it provides.
HEMSI and Huntsville Hospital have been innovators and one of the first in the nation to start carrying whole blood for ambulances. Thanks to this unique collaboration, the hospital blood bank is providing HEMSI with blood that’s nearing the end of its shelf life — blood that could otherwise go to waste. This blood is now on-hand for critical cases — averaging one every week.
But, it takes more than just access to the blood. They must be able to store and transport it safely, and then warm and transfuse it quickly. That is more complicated than it sounds. With HEMSI’s current equipment, it can take them up to 19 minutes to get blood warmed and into a trauma patient in need. With new blood warmers and infusers, they can cut that time down to just three minutes. That 16-minute difference could be the line between life and death.
HHF’s focus this Giving Tuesday is to raise $67,779 to supply these lifesaving, innovative resources that will “buy them” those 16 minutes. 100-percent of donations made today will purchase the upgraded blood warmers, rapid infusers and transport coolers.
Visit huntsvillehospitalfoundation.org/givingtuesday to support the fundraiser through an online gift.
Donations can also be made over the phone by calling 256-265-8077, or in person by check at the Foundation office: 801 Clinton Avenue.
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