CHARLOTTE, N.C.,– Stop the Bleed is a community-focused training program in bleeding control principles. It teaches bystanders how to provide immediate aid until first responders are able to take over care of an injured person. The goal is to control bleeding and prevent death.
On Aug. 21, Novant Health trauma team members and sports medicine trainers will lead Stop the Bleed training for up to 350 coaches, athletic trainers and athletic team staff from the Union County Public School system. The training will start 9:30 a.m. at Central Academy of Technology and Arts, located at 600 Brewer Drive in Monroe, North Carolina.
Novant Health received a substantial grant from the James R. and Bronnie L. Braswell Trust to provide bleeding control kits and education to all 53 Union County Public Schools. With these funds, Novant Health trauma team members will work collaboratively with UCPS to educate school emergency response teams, teachers, students and parents. The project aims to train approximately 6,000 Union County residents by the end of 2018.
Led by Angela Clarkson, BSN, RN, TCRN, outreach and injury prevention coordinator at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center, Novant Health has already conducted 51 Stop the Bleed training courses to more than 961 community members since August 2017.
“Educating the public on how they can stop severe bleeding can mean the difference between life and death for an injured person,” said Clarkson. “The donation of the bleeding control kits to the Union County Public Schools and the ongoing education of employees and students in Union County will empower thousands to intervene and save a life in the event of a bleeding emergency.”
Course participants will learn the ABC’s of bleeding control: A, Alert 911 and ask for bleeding control supplies; B, Find the Bleeding injury; and C, Compress the area with direct pressure. In small groups with hands-on instruction from Novant Health team members, participants learn how to use tourniquets, pack wounds and other critical steps to take in the moments following a traumatic event before rescue crews and police arrive. The techniques are straightforward and can be utilized in everyday life by anyone, of any age, without any prior medical training.
Stop the Bleed, as described by the Hartford Consensus and launched by the American College of Surgeons in 2015, intends to cultivate grassroots efforts that encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s webpage on the program.
BleedingControl.org supports the policy directive for national preparedness, which targets preparedness as a shared responsibility of the government, the private and nonprofit sectors, and individual citizens. If you are interested in attending a Stop the Bleed training session, visit bleedingcontrol.org and click “find a class.” Classes are free and take approximately 90 minutes to complete.
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