First responders are equipped with lifesaving expertise and resources to rapidly arrive on the scene of emergencies resulting in traumatic injuries, but even so, a person who has suffered a trauma and is bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes if efforts are not made to control it.
Recognizing that bystanders are actually very often first on the scene of a trauma, the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, along with the Hartford Consensus (comprised of representatives from the federal government, law enforcement and the medical field), created the STOP THE BLEED® emergency training course following the Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012. The goal of the course is to teach members of the public proper techniques to control life-threatening bleeding after an injury until professional help arrives.
Utilizing the teaching tools and resources of this program, the North Oaks Medical Center Level II Shock Trauma Center team is offering a free STOP THE BLEED® emergency training course for the public on Aug. 16, from 6-7:30 p.m. The training will be held in the E. Brent Dufreche Conference Center, located within North Oaks Diagnostic Center at 15837 Paul Vega, MD, Drive in Hammond. Pre-register online at www.northoaks.org/stopthebleed or by calling (985) 230-6647 for assistance.
Course participants will learn how to recognize life-threatening bleeding and properly use dressings, tourniquets and their own hands to control blood loss regardless of the cause. Controlling blood loss with these techniques can help give trauma victims a fighting chance and buy time to transport them to a hospital to receive treatment.