Originally published in The Sylva Herald on Feb. 7, 2019.
“Stop the Bleed, Basic Kit” Courtesy of Bound Tree Medical
More than 500 teachers and school personnel in Jackson, Swain, and Graham counties will be trained to be immediate responders by the 2019-20 school year and will utilize small medical kits that will enable them to do so.
Executive director of the Great Smokies Health Foundation, Michelle Garashi-Ellick, announced the initiation of the “Stop the Bleed Program” at the Jan. 31 Jackson County School Board Meeting at Smoky Mountain High School.
The “Stop the Bleed” program was launched as a result of the Dec. 14, 2012 Sandy Hook School shooting that resulted in 28 deaths. The American College of Surgeons worked together with law enforcement to form the Harvard Consensus, which established the program that was officially launched in Oct. 2015 by the White House to address the need to train more civilians to become immediate responders.
“In many cases, bleeding is a preventable cause of death. The ability to recognize life-threatening bleeding and the ability to intervene effectively can save a person’s life,” said Kyle Dowling, an EMT professional leading the effort.
“Stop the Bleed” has already made great progress in the United States with 15,334 instructors and a total of 124,354 people trained with 374 instructors and 1,623 trained specifically in North Carolina, according to their 2018 progress report.
According to Bound Tree Medical, a basic kit includes a permanent marker, gloves, tourniquet, bandage, trauma shears and two rolls of gauze dressing.
A disbursement of an estimated $45,000 in funds will be used to place over 800 kits in all schools as well as provide training for over 500 teachers and school personnel.
Garashi-Ellick says schools in these counties are only the beginning.
“Implementation will begin in our local schools, with the potential opportunity to expand the program to other entities,” Garashi-Ellick said.
The training course is called “Bleeding Control Basics.” It will be taught by professionals in small groups and involve hands-on learning. By the end, participants will know how to pack wounds, use tourniquets and other necessary materials and that are required after such an event takes place before medical personnel arrive. The course does not require any previous medical training and is open to people of all ages.
Ali Laird-Large, chair of the Jackson County School Board, applauded the distribution of the kit and the efforts of the foundation.
“It’s amazing,’’ said Laird-Large. “It’s very small and has a lot in it. We certainly appreciate (the foundation’s help) with our children and our schools.”
