During Trauma Awareness Month in May, the American Red Cross urges eligible donors in St. Lawrence County and across the state to help ensure blood is available for patients with traumatic injuries and other serious medical needs by donating blood.

According to the National Trauma Institute, trauma accounts for approximately 41 million emergency department visits and 2.3 million hospital admissions in the U.S. annually.

“A single car accident victim can need as many as 100 units of blood,” said Patty Corvaia, communications manager, New York-Penn Red Cross Blood Services. “In trauma situations, when there’s no time to check a patient’s blood type, emergency personnel reach for type O negative red blood cells and type AB plasma.”

O negative red blood cells and AB plasma can be transfused into any patient, regardless of blood type, making donors with these universal blood types an important part of the Red Cross trauma team. Less than 7 percent of the population has type O negative blood, and only about 4 percent of the population has type AB blood.

Platelets may also be needed to help with clotting in cases of massive bleeding. Because platelets must be transfused within five days of donation, there is a constant – often critical – need to keep up with hospital demand.

Blood and platelet donors of all types are currently needed. Those who come out to donate blood or platelets by May 14 will have a chance to win one of three $1,000 gift card shopping sprees from GiftCertificates.com.

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

The schedule for blood drives in St. Lawrence County is as follows:

May 30, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Canton Central School, 99 State St.

May 5, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., BOCES Southwest Tech Center, 3606 State Highway 58, Gouverneur; May 18, 11:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Gouverneur Hospital, 77 West Barney St.

May 20, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Heuvelton Fire Department, State St,; May 24, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Heuvelton Central School, 87 Washington St.

May 30, 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., Lisbon Central School, 6866 CR 10.

May 12, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Madrid-Waddington High School, 2582 SH 345.

May 17, 12:30 - 5:30 p.m., Saint Lawrence Centre, 6100 State Route 37, Massena; May 17, 4 - 8 p.m., Massena Community, 40 East Orvis St.

May 17, 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Morristown High School, 408 Gouverneur St.

May 20, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., Norwood Norfolk Central School, 7852 SH 56.

May 4, noon - 5 p.m., Lowe's Home Improvement, 2001 Ford Street Ext., Ogdensburg; May 10, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., United Helpers RiverLedge, 8101 State Highway 68, Ogdensburg; May 16, 11:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Ogdensburg Knights of Columbus, 721 Hasbrouck St.

May 23, 12:30 - 5:30 p.m., Potsdam Presbyterian Church, 42 Elm St.