In recognition of Trauma Awareness Day, the TraumaOne air ambulance will touch down between the Jacksonville Landing and the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, May 18.
This year’s theme is distracted driving. Trauma Awareness Day is intended to educate the public about preventing traumatic injuries, in particular those associated with distracted driving-such as texting while behind the wheel.
The free event hosted by Shands Jacksonville will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Guest speakers will include representatives from Jacksonville City Council, the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Highway Patrol. Information about trauma prevention will be available. In addition, attendees will be encouraged to sign The Great First Coast Hang Up pledge form. The pledge is designed to help drivers do their best to not text while driving. The form also gives two other options: 1) to pledge to only use a hands-free device while talking on the phone, and 2) to pledge not to use the cell phone at all while driving.
According to the American Trauma Society, trauma is the leading cause of death for all individuals ages 1-44. Traumatic injuries cause more childhood deaths than all diseases combined and account for 55 percent of all deaths among adolescents. When serious traumatic injuries occur, rapid transport, prompt treatment and early rehabilitation of the victim reduce physical, emotional and financial costs.
TraumaOne’s aeromedical ambulance service is used exclusively to transport severely injured patients and those suffering from strokes, poison exposure or cardiac emergencies. TraumaOne flight services and ShandsCair, the aeromedical service at Shands at the University of Florida in Gainesville, each transport approximately 1,000 patients per year.
TraumaOne’s flight services in Jacksonville responds to emergency medical service (EMS) calls within a 70-mile radius, covering Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau, Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Hamilton, Putnam, Suwannee, Union and many other smaller counties in Florida, as well as Camden, Charlton, Folkston, Waycross, Woodbine and surrounding counties in Georgia.