MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Educators in Monongalia County high schools are now better prepared for life-threatening emergencies thanks to the expertise of the physicians and staff of the WVU Medicine Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center.
Over the course of the 2022-23 school year, faculty and staff completed STOP THE BLEED® training, an initiative launched in 2015 by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. The goal of the STOP THE BLEED campaign is to empower the public to acquire the skills and confidence to control bleeding in emergency situations where control can save lives.
“They now possess the ability to save the lives of friends, neighbors, students, and colleagues. STOP THE BLEED training dramatically increases the preparedness of Monongalia County Schools to respond should an incident occur in which students, faculty, or staff sustain an injury resulting in life-threatening hemorrhage. This training, in combination with the presence of bleeding control kits in Mon County schools is essential to ensure the safety of students and faculty,” Gregory Schaefer, D.O., medical director of surgical care at the Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center, said.
“We have contacted West Virginia state legislators to explore how STOP THE BLEED training can be incorporated into high school curriculum. Just as widespread CPR and naloxone training increase community preparedness, STOP THE BLEED training is an essential component in a triad of preparedness for West Virginia.”
Adam C. Henkins, director of Safe Schools, Athletics, and Title IX for Monongalia County Schools, said STOP THE BLEED training is more important now than ever with the violence that is occurring throughout the world.
“You never know when the training you receive through the STOP THE BLEED program can help you save a life,” he said. “STOP THE BLEED training helps to control bleeding in an emergency. It teaches participants how to identify different types of bleeding, wound compacting, and how to apply a tourniquet. Bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death following injury. A person can die from blood loss within five minutes, so this is a tool that can be used in everyday life.”
Scheduling for STOP THE BLEED training in Monongalia County middle schools and private schools is now underway for the upcoming 2023-24 academic year. For more information on STOP THE BLEED training, contact Eric Small at eric.small@wvumedicine.org or visit STOPTHEBLEED.org.
For more information on trauma services at WVU Medicine, visit WVUMedicine.org/Trauma.