Brookings Health offers ‘Stop the Bleed’ education

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BROOKINGS – Brookings Health System is teaching area educators the principles of bleeding control before they head back to the classroom this fall. 

“Stop the Bleed” is a national awareness campaign and call-to-action that encourages bystanders to become skilled, equipped and empowered in a bleeding emergency. The program officially began in 2015 with its roots stemming from the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

“Unfortunately, we live in a world of terrorism where the actions of unstable people and the dangerous impulses of others are frequent,” said Brookings Health System’s Trauma Coordinator Chelsey Sundberg, RN. “Massive bleeding can result in death before a person ever reaches a medical facility or EMS care. Similar to learning CPR, the general public must learn proper bleeding control. By using simple techniques, bystanders can immediately intervene and save lives.”

As a statewide trauma program goal, Stop the Bleed kits have been placed in all 877 schools across South Dakota. The goal of these kits is to save lives in the event of an active intruder situation.

Brookings Health System is offering free education to all Brookings County schools on proper kit use. The course includes hands-on practice of direct pressure application, wound packing and tourniquet use. It teaches non-medical personnel how to act as a first-responder to control life-threatening bleeding until help arrives. 

For more information on Stop the Bleed education, contact Sundberg at csundberg@brookingshealth.org.