an hour during the next faculty development or
continuing education session was designated for hemorrhage control training.
With some training sessions scheduled, I applied
for funding from the Louis S. and Molly B. Wolk
Foundation, a local philanthropic organization,
which awarded a $10,000 grant to launch the project
in February 2017. To facilitate fundraising, I partnered
with the Jewish Federation, a 501(c)( 3) organization,
to create a dedicated account for this project, so that
contributions to the project would be tax deductible.
Two additional grant applications were under review
at press time.
Staff of the Kessler Trauma Center at the University
of Rochester embraced the project and volunteered
to help run the hands-on portion of the training sessions. They also supplied the training tourniquets and
the practice models. As the project gained momentum, the Kessler team trained additional volunteer
participants, including residents, advanced practice providers, and faculty from the University of
Rochester’s departments of surgery and emergency
medicine.
The resources available at
bleedingcontrol.org made
it easy to run the training sessions. The prepared lecture requires approximately 25 minutes to present
and is succinct, practical, and effective. It is followed
by a hands-on component during which participants
interact directly with trained instructor volunteers to
practice applying direct pressure, packing wounds,
and using tourniquets.
Attendees were engaged, interested, and made
a number of interesting comments, such as, “But
I thought that bleeding from an artery cannot be
stopped,” and, “If there is a bleeding wound with
glass in it, should I try to press around the glass, or
remove it first and then press?” Questions like this
demonstrate the astounding lack of relevant knowledge among some members of the general public
and highlight the importance of this training. Others
RESPONSE TO ROCHESTER’S
STOP THE BLEED TRAINING PROGRAM
Our Hillel team is incredibly appreciative of the
Stop the Bleed program and the trainers for this
informative and much-needed training. My teachers
and staff feel better prepared, logistically and
emotionally, to provide highly effective responses in
full and smaller scale situations involving bleeding
and wound care. As a school principal, the physical
and emotional safety of our children and staff is
paramount to every professional thought that I
have and decision that I make. This hands-on and
informative training provided my school’s team
the information and experiences necessary to
proactively protect and potentially save the lives
of our children and community members. As the
school’s leader, I know that I feel much more secure
in our team’s ability to ensure that we are doing and
will continue to do our very best for our children
because of this highly effective training experience.
Tracie Glazer, head of school,
Hillel Community Day School, Rochester
Stop the Bleed is a deeply impactful program.
Giving our community members the opportunity
to learn how to save lives is very empowering. The
program provided exceptional training to our staff
and volunteers. All participants commented after
the training that they felt they could truly make a
difference in a life-threatening emergency and were
grateful for the learning opportunity. Our federation
believes in the concept that when you save one life
it is as if you have saved the world. This program is
the quintessential example of that philosophy and
allows us to put our beliefs into practical action.
Meredith Dragon, chief executive officer,
Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester
continued on next page
Stop the Bleed
training class in
Rochester