NVCOG Awarded $2.4 Million to Advance Vision Zero by Bringing Lifesaving Blood Transfusions to Crash Scenes

Combined with $600,000 in local funding from Trinity Health Of New England, the federal award will support a $3 million PULSE program as a pilot project focused on improving survival during the critical period immediately following a serious collision. The project will equip Emergency Medical Services (EMS) vehicles across the NVCOG region with blood and blood transfusion equipment and establish a rapid-response team of emergency physicians who will deploy to high-severity crash incidents.

The PULSE initiative represents a significant step in implementing NVCOG’s broader NVision Zero strategy, which seeks to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries on the region’s roads by 2060. NVCOG became the first Council of Governments in Connecticut to adopt a Vision Zero commitment when its board established the regional goal in 2022. The project advances post-crash care strategies identified in NVCOG’s Vision Zero Action Plan. With this award, NVCOG and its partners can begin putting those strategies into actions across the region.

NVCOG Deputy Director Richard Donovan said the project represents an important expansion of the region’s approach to roadway safety. “When a serious crash happens, the minutes immediately afterward can determine whether someone lives or not. This investment will give our emergency responders additional lifesaving tools at the scene.
With the partnership of Trinity Health Of New England, we are building a regional system focused not only on preventing crashes, but also on giving people the best possible care and chances of surviving them.”
 

"As a leading healthcare provider in the community, we see firsthand the devastating impact motor vehicle crashes can have on individuals, families and communities,” said Robert Roose, MD, MPH, President, Acute Care, Trinity Health Of New England. “Our support for this project reflects our commitment to improving safety beyond our hospital walls and partnering in efforts that help prevent serious injuries and save lives. We believe this initiative can make a meaningful difference for countless people each year."

In addition to treating people injured in roadway crashes, the blood transfusion equipment will also be used for other traumatic emergencies throughout the region, extending the public safety benefit beyond transportation safety.

“This initiative demonstrates what is possible when organizations come together around a shared purpose. By combining the expertise of prehospital resuscitation and the commitment of NVCOG and its member communities, we are building a strong foundation to reducing preventable deaths and saving lives,” said Wesley Kyle, MD, EMS Medical Director, Saint Mary’s Hospital.

The award comes through USDOT's Safe Streets and Roads for All, or SS4A, program, which supports local, regional and Tribal efforts to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. The program was established with $5 billion in appropriated funding over five years, from 2022 through 2026.

For Federal Fiscal Year 2026, USDOT announced 297 SS4A awards totaling approximately
$1.013 billion. Ninety-five of the selected projects primarily focus on post-crash care and trauma support, representing more than $335 million in funding.

The award marks the next phase of NVCOG’s regional Vision Zero work, moving a priority identified through planning and data analysis toward implementation. The partnership with Trinity Health Of New England brings transportation planners, healthcare professionals

and emergency responders together around a shared goal of preventing roadway deaths and serious injuries on the region’s roads.

More information on NVCOG’s broader NVision Zero strategy is available at https://nvcogct.gov/what-we-do/transportation-planning-2/highway-safety….