Heavy industrial and agriculture work and outdoor recreation like hunting and off-road activities are staples in the Craig community. Notoriously, these lines of work and types of activities occur in remote areas, can be dangerous and have fatal consequences when things go wrong. However, there is a program that is trying to help.

The American College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed campaign has trained over 1.5 million people nationwide with the skills and knowledge of stopping the bleeding in a severely injured person.

What is Stop The Bleed?

When you attend a Stop the Bleed class, in one 90-minute session, for no cost, you can learn how to save a life. In addition, you’ll be able to practice how to properly perform the three actions of applying pressure, packing wounds and using tourniquets. Memorial Regional Health offers local trainings for anyone in the community to participate.

“The purpose of Stop the Bleed is to raise awareness and provide education to the community about three actions they can do to save someone’s life who may be suffering from life-threatening bleeding,” said Sarah Moore, the Emergency Department Manager at Memorial Regional Health.

Outside of what the program teaches, it also has various resources on the national website that anyone can use for reference, such as videos on how to use a tourniquet or guidance on caring for hurt individuals during an active shooter situation.

What stops bleeding?

A bleeding injury can happen anywhere. When you learn how to Stop the Bleed, you’ll be an agent to combat the number one cause of preventable death after injury.

During a Stop the Bleed course, you’ll learn how to:

1. Use your hands to apply pressure to a wound.
2. Pack a wound to control bleeding.
3. Correctly apply a tourniquet.

Learn more about the Stop the Bleed program by visiting stopthebleed.org.

Why should people not in the medical field be trained?

Dr. Jeff Womble is a general surgeon at MRH, and he is an advocate for Stop the Bleed because it helps train people who aren’t medical professionals. He said that programs like this are just as important as CPR training and that he would like to see this type of training included in hunting and conceal carry classes.

Dr. Jeff Womble, General Surgeon at MRH

“I see lots of people who have sustained injuries that could have done better if someone had been able to perform immediate first aid like this,” Womble said. “If more people had this training, it would make it so that we may not have to use extreme measures in the hospital to save someone. It could actually save someone that might not make it to us otherwise.”

Moore helps plan classes within the Craig community. She said to her the most crucial part of Stop the Bleed is getting the information out to as many community members as possible. The program provides the awareness and skills needed to intervene until EMS arrives, which will help save lives.

“It is important to educate the community because a bleeding injury can happen anywhere, whether someone is involved in a life-threatening accident or due to a natural disaster,” Moore said. “The person next to them may be the one to save their life, as it can only take minutes for someone to die because of severe bleeding.”

Why is Stop the Bleed important in Craig?

It’s no secret that Craig is within a rural region and that there are a large number of outdoor recreational enthusiasts. Moore said that anyone can benefit from the training and these skills may be helpful if you come upon a vehicle accident.

“The more people we have trained, the better outcomes for the injured individual,” Moore said. “We have such a large county that it may take EMS personnel a longer length of time to get to the injured party, and it only takes minutes for an individual to succumb to life-threatening bleeding.”

Right now, Moore said that there are no classes on the calendar, but that doesn’t mean individuals or businesses can’t access the training. She highly encourages people to sign up to host events within the community. Anyone can contact her to schedule a class for their group.

“This type of training is important for all ages from children to adults,” she said. “Knowing these skills could mean the difference between life and death for someone in a bad situation.”

General surgery at MRH

When surgery is in your future, either elective or a result of trauma or an emergency, medical experts at Memorial Regional Health are here for you. If you have any questions about the general surgery services our experienced surgeons can provide, call 970-826-2420 today or learn more here.