SMITH CENTER, Kan. – Medical staff at Smith County Memorial Hospital will offer Stop the Bleed training on Monday, Nov. 11 at 5:30 p.m. in the hospital conference room. The public is encourage to attend.
“We’re especially hopeful that our community members who work in agriculture, schools and are business owners or leaders will take the training,” said Laura Kingsbury, ER supervisor. “While we don’t want anyone to have to use bleeding control techniques, we know industries in our community can benefit from the training.”
Stop the Bleed is a national program developed as a response to manmade and natural mass casualty events. Kingsbury and Justin Overmiller, a physician at the hospital and clinic, will lead the presentation. The training will include basic knowledge of the Stop the Bleed program, information about bleeding control and demonstration and practice with bleeding control tools.
“While the program was created for mass casualty, our communities know too well the tragedy of farm and vehicle accidents,” Kingsbury said. “We want to offer training to help prepare our friends and neighbors so they can respond quickly when something happens.”
The presentation, which focuses on the importance of controlling bleeding immediately—especially in cases where response is delayed—will include training on the use of Combat Action Tourniquets and Bleeding Control Kits.
“Training in Stop the Bleed is critical for our area of the world,” Overmiller said. “We live in a part of the country that is very spread out and it can be difficult for emergency services to arrive quickly enough to address bleeding. Teaching our community how to respond to an emergency before EMS arrives can be the difference between life and death.”
He notes that anyone can take action to save a life if they know what to do.
“Our goal is for everyone to feel prepared in emergency situations,” Overmiller said. “It is typical practice to take swimming lessons or learn CPR and the general public should be educated in this type of response as well.”
To receive more information about the Stop the Bleed program or to sponsor tourniquets to be given away to attendees, please contact Amy Doane at (785) 282-6845.