‘Stop the bleed’ program set for Island
Students and adults will have an opportunity this week to learn an important aspect of first aid in bleeding control sessions on Friday at the Shelter Island School auditorium.
According to School Nurse Mary Kanarvogel, the program is designed to teach people how to assist victims who are bleeding heavily to ensure they don’t bleed out before medical personnel can reach the scene.
The program is being taught under the auspices of Stony Brook Hospital and will be available to students at the school between 1 and 2:30 p.m. Friday, with sessions for adults between 4:40 and 7 p.m., Ms. Kanarvogel said.
The training is ongoing during those hours so attendees don’t have to be on site throughout, Ms. Kanarvogel said.
Learning to control bleeding is an important lifesaving measure, the nurse said, noting that whether bleeding results from an accident or any other event, it’s important that as many people as possible learn the steps to stop bleeding.
It’s particularly critical when there’s a serious wound or an event that might result in injuries to multiple victims when EMTs can’t get to everyone at once, she said.
Similar programs are being launched around the country, with recent statistics reported in the Journal of the American Medicine Association that trauma is the leading cause of death in people under age 45 as a result of uncontrolled hemorrhaging.
