Health Care District of Palm Beach County Provides “Stop the Bleed” Training to Save Lives

In an emergency, would you know what to do to control life-threatening bleeding? May 2019 was the first National Stop the Bleed Month. To raise awareness, the Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s Trauma Agency presented a life-saving “Stop the Bleed” training session to over 20 staff members at the Health Care District’s skilled nursing facility, the Edward J. Healey Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Riviera Beach, on May 20th.

“It’s important to know how to stop hemorrhaging to save a life,” said David Summers, RN, CFRN, EMT-P, Trauma Nurse Outreach Coordinator with the Health Care District’s Trauma Agency. “We want to empower people to understand what to do in a life-threatening situation.”

Approximately 40% of trauma-related deaths worldwide are due to bleeding or its consequences, making uncontrolled bleeding the most common cause of preventable death in trauma.  The national Stop the Bleed Campaign is focused on raising awareness of how, with the proper training and materials, death from bleeding can be prevented. During this month, registered instructors participated in this grassroots training effort to highlight the “Stop the Bleed” campaign and highlight the simple measures that can save many lives.

Since 2017, Summers has trained 3,100 professionals at local hospitals, EMS and law enforcement agencies, as well as public and private schools. His 75-minute, hands-on training session teaches participants how to identify life-threatening bleeding and treat it by packing wounds, applying pressure and properly using a tourniquet. The District’s Trauma Agency provides other trauma prevention education throughout the county, like teaching seniors how to avoid falling and students about the dangers of distracted driving.

“The ‘Stop the Bleed’ training was valuable for the staff at the Edward J. Healey Rehabilitation and Nursing Center,” said Jane McGinley, Staff Development Coordinator. “The steps demonstrated by David Summers will empower our nurses to take the appropriate action to save lives.”
“All bleeding stops eventually,” Summers said. “The goal is to stop it as fast as possible before first responders arrive.”