One year ago today, San Antonio's University Hospital was swamped by victims from the shooting at Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church, and today, the hospital honored the victims with a very special program, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Alexis Vega, who is the Blood Donor Services Director at University Health System, says people are being invited in to learn how to stop the bleeding on a severely injured person, like from a traffic accident.
"You should have some kind of education, and be able to help, in case the first responders aren't able to get there right away," she said.
Vega compared it with the effort begun several decades ago to start teaching civilians CPR. She says it has saved countless lives to have citizens step in, and begin the critical work when a patient is in trauma, and this training can give non medical personnel the ability, and the confidence, to know how to deal with severe bleeding, which frequently must be treated in minutes, before EMS has a chance to respond to the call.
"Even though its practice, and you're not in that moment, they actually mentally prepare you on how to calm yourself before you can help somebody else," she said. "You can't help somebody if you're freaking out."
The hospital is also encouraging people to come in on this anniversary of the worst mass shooting in Texas history to give blood in honor of the victims and their families.