Modified: May 14, 2018 4:59pm
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PRESS RELEASE
From the Office of the Commissioner of Health, Dr. Gale R. Burstein
Date: May 14, 2018
CONTACT: Mary C. St. Mary/Mary.StMary@Erie.Gov
Phone: 716.858.4941/ Mobile: 716.253.3925
Stop the Bleed Campaign Collaborative
Looking For Interested Sites to Receive Free Training and Kit
The Erie County Department of Health (“ECDOH”) Specialized Medical Assistance Response Team (“SMART”) / Medical Reserve Corps (“MRC”) and Niagara County Department of Health Medical Reserve Corps are collaborating to provide free Stop the Bleed training as part of their new MRC Challenge Award from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (“NACCHO”).
“ECDOH is fortunate for the opportunity to provide this life-saving training, along with a free hemorrhage control kit. We encourage participation in this collaborative initiative to increase community resiliency,” stated Dr. Gale Burstein, Commissioner, Erie County Department of Health.
Organizations, such as schools, large employers, community centers, and churches, are encouraged to obtain the training with a free Stop the Bleed kit. Beginning June 1st, the first 60 sites in Erie County and the first 60 sites in Niagara County registered for the free training will receive a free Stop the Bleed kit. Interested organizations should contact their respective MRC coordinator to schedule training.
- Erie County: Pati Aine Guzinski 716-858-7109 or patiaine.guzinski@erie.gov
- Niagara County: Francisco Meza Aguero 716-439-7436 or francisco.mezaaguero@niagaracounty.com
According to the Stop the Bleeding Coalition, from 2002-2012, 54% of Active Shooter Events occurred in a workplace or academic setting Additionally, studies show up to 80% of civilian trauma fatalities are due to uncontrolled bleeding from an extremity. A person who is bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes. Uncontrolled bleeding injuries can result from natural and manmade disasters and from everyday accidents. If this bleeding is severe, it can kill within minutes, potentially before trained responders can arrive.
However, properly trained and equipped bystanders can quickly stop the blood loss and safe lives. A recommendation from the lessons learned after the Sandy Hook Elementary School incident is that public access to hemorrhage control tools is needed. Therefore, both the Erie and Niagara County Health Departments Public Health Emergency Preparedness programs and their respective MRCs, are collaborating to empower potential bystanders with Stop the Bleed training.
Sites are encouraged to provide easy public access to bleeding control bags and to locate them in a widely accessible space, similar to automated external defibrillators (“AEDs”). They should be readily visible and available for use within three minutes of need. “Improving public awareness about how to stop severe bleeding and expanding personal and public access to Bleeding Control Kits can be the difference between life and death for an injured person,” concluded Burstein.
For more information regarding this project, please contact Tracy Fricano Chalmers at 716-858-7108 or tracy.fricanochalmers@erie.gov.
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For More Information:
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Stop the Bleed Website