Stop the Bleed Campaign

Uncontrolled bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death from trauma. The greater the number of people who know how to control bleeding in an injured patient, the higher the chances of surviving that injury.

Stop the Bleed is a national awareness campaign and call to action to educate people on hemorrhage control. Kern Medical offers a Stop the Bleed course, which involves a 30-minute presentation, followed by hands-on teaching and return demonstration of how to apply pressure to a bleeding wound, how to apply a tourniquet, and how to pack an open wound. We have provided the course to over 2,000 high school students across Kern County. Additionally, we have provided the course to Kern High School District athletic trainers and health teachers.

We have also provided education to our partners in Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and we will continue to work with them to disseminate knowledge across the county.

For more information about Stop the Bleed, or to request for an educator to teach a class, please call 661.326.2374.

The ABCs of Bleeding

• Alert – call 9-1-1
• Bleeding – find the bleeding injury
• Compress – apply pressure to stop the bleeding by covering the wound with a clean cloth and applying pressure by pushing directly on it with both hands, OR Using a tourniquet, OR Packing (stuffing) the wound with gauze or a clean cloth and then applying pressure with both hands.

How to Control Bleeding

Before you offer any help, you must remain safe. If you become injured, you will not be able to help the victim. Initiate care if the scene is safe for you to do so, but if your safety is threatened, attempt to remove yourself from danger and find a secure location. Protect yourself from blood-borne infections by wearing gloves, if available.

If you don’t have a trauma first aid kit, apply direct pressure to the wound by taking any clean cloth and covering the wound. If the injury is large and deep, try to stuff cloth or gauze into the wound. Apply continuous pressure with both hands at the site of the bleeding wound and push down as hard as you can with continuous pressure, and do not release pressure to check the wound.

If you do have a trauma first aid kit, apply a tourniquet around a bleeding arm of leg about 2 to 3 inches above the bleeding site (not onto a joint, go above the joint if necessary). Pull the free end of the tourniquet to make it as tight as possible and secure the free end.

Resources:

Stop the Bleed Informational Booklet
https://www.bleedingcontrol.org/