By Jessica A. Dennehy
It’s 3:00 PM on a Wednesday afternoon, and HOSA is hosting their second year of Stop the Bleed training. In the library on October 15th, thirty Williamsville East students became certified in first aid skills, including tourniquet usage and other bleeding basics.
Stop the Bleed is a national organization that hosts first aid classes on a national scale, aiming to educate individuals in bleeding first aid. Typically free for participants, instructors are volunteers from the local community. This year, two instructors arrived to teach Williamsville East students these incredible life-saving skills.
HOSA President Evania Ernest explains how HOSA came to host Stop the Bleed training. A relatively new club—formed only last year—Evania already had experience with Stop the Bleed from a summer medical program sponsored by Roswell Park. She wanted to bring what she had learned downtown to the East community and contacted the national organization for details on how to host a first aid training class here. She was then connected to the local Stop the Bleed network based out of ECMC and coordinated details between administration, the instructors, and club members.
This year, the thirty students were split into two groups: tourniquet training and bleeding first aid. After approximately 45 minutes, they would then switch, allowing for the two volunteer instructors to be more hands-on and provide greater individualized detail.
“One of the main goals of HOSA is to increase awareness and enable action, which is why I’m so happy Stop the Bleed was able to come in again. Uncontrolled bleeding is actually the number one cause of preventable death in trauma-related accidents, so what Stop the Bleed does is so important because it empowers people to take action where they otherwise may have been unable to.” Evania remarked, “My hope is that all the students who attended are now able to go from ‘bystander to lifesaver,’ which is Stop the Bleed’s mission.”
Freshman Julie Li, a participant in this year’s Stop the Bleed training, elaborates on her experience: “I was curious about what it was, so then my friends and I went there and did it. It was really fun, with me and my friends getting to use mannequins and tourniquets. We also learned other techniques, like applying pressure to wounds and wound-stuffing. Now, if you find yourself hemorrhaging, I might be able to save your life.”
(I’ll keep that in mind the next time I have a traumatic near-death experience, Julie).
Mrs. Weber, the HOSA adviser, was inspired by the program. “Stop the Bleed is a fabulous organization, and all the participants really learned a lot and enjoyed the program. People, if seriously injured, can bleed out in five minutes, so it’s definitely making us consider what safety and medical equipment we have here to help us in case of an emergency.”
Annually, traumatic bleeding is responsible for over 60,000 deaths in the United States and 1.5 million deaths worldwide. Hemorrhages, or severe bleeding, are responsible for 30-40% of trauma-related fatalities, with more than 50% occurring in the pre-hospital phase. Having these skills may allow for a faster response in these situations where even seconds could save a life. From car crashes to skiing, power tools to a simple fall, the hope is that you’ll never have to use them. However, if ever in a situation where these skills are needed, the knowledge gained from these classes is crucial.