The series was about a national health crisis — the deaths of the estimated 31,000 Americans who bleed to death from survivable injuries each year. These preventable deaths, which occur about 85 times a day, result from a variety of causes, including car crashes, shootings, falls and random accidents. The project is based on 144 interviews; a review of nearly 300 medical journal articles; dozens of hours embedded with emergency medical providers and trauma center staff; a national review of federal death statistics and trauma center data, in collaboration with medical researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; and a weeklong reporting trip to western Colorado. The reporting was supported by a National Fellowship grant from the USC Center for Health Journalism.
This series informs the public about crucial shortcomings in emergency health care, laying out systemic problems and science-based solutions. It tackles a deeply complex issue with authority, specificity and humanity. This project is notable for its exhaustive and meticulous approach, including the vast number of interviews, significant time spent reporting in the field, patient-centered storytelling and grasp of complex scientific material. Few acts of journalism have the potential to help save lives. This is one of them.
