02
January
2020
|
13:37 PM
America/Chicago

Life-Saving Training

OSF HealthCare provides organizations stop the bleed instruction

Stop the Bleed kit graphic

It's training that most people hope they will never have to use, but it could be lifesaving. Stop the Bleed is a program to help prepare community members in case of an emergency or disaster. Stop the Bleed is a national awareness campaign intended to grow grassroots efforts that encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives. 

"The program was born out of the American College of Surgeons," said Jeff Brown, disaster preparedness manager, OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center. "They put it out after the Sandy Hook shootings as a way of showing if there was bleeding control at the scene, lives could be saved. With the every incident or drill or training there's always area of improvement we can focus on and this was a large national area of focus." 

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Jeff Brown Sandy Hook

OSF HealthCare has rolled out its own Stop the Bleed program in many parts of the state. Trained medical professionals work with local and state agencies to teach the program to public schools, colleges, churches and other non-medical related organizations. 

"Unfortunately, shootings, and that's what we're talking about, they aren't going to stop," said Jeff Brown, disaster preparedness manager, OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center. "If you look at the news, there's almost one or two a week. Stop the bleed is becoming almost the same type of training we did years ago with CPR; it's that important, that life saving. Time can save people's lives. If we can stop the bleed on scene, whether it's someone with health care experience or not, it can save lives and that's the importance of getting that training out there." 

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Jeff Brown Shootings

As part of a training with OSF HealthCare, participants are given a stop the bleed kit that includes bandages, dressing, scissors and tourniquets. 

"We are getting fantastic feedback because this is training they haven't had," said Jeff Brown, disaster preparedness manager, OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center. "They see it within the news; they see the active shooter incidences that are happening nationwide and they want to know how they can help, how they can assist if something like that were to occur within their organization." 

 

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Jeff Brown Feedback

For more information, contact the OSF HealthCare Trauma Services coordinator in your area. 

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Life Saving b-roll