CASPER, Wyoming – Banner Wyoming Medical Center’s Trauma Program recently trained more than 120 bus drivers and paramedics from the Natrona County School District in the basics of tourniquet use and wound care.
Uncontrolled bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death in trauma. Stop the Bleed is a nationwide campaign and call to action to teach everyday people the basics of using first aid methods to control blood loss until help arrives.
“The training aims to turn bystanders into helpers until help arrives,” says trauma program manager Cari Hacking.
The Central Wyoming Healthcare Coalition also provided a tourniquet kit for every bus in the county. The coalition is a collaborative network of healthcare organizations organized to coordinate emergency response.
“Providing a kit to every school bus in Natrona County is directly related to our mission to equip our communities with the tools they need to save lives,” said Kaleigh Good, president and preparedness and response coordinator for the coalition.
Stop the Bleed is a program of the American College of Surgeons administered by the ACS Committee on Trauma. More information is available online here.
The Banner Wyoming Medical Center trauma program offers Stop the Bleed for free at times, and the course is also available online. Organizations or companies interested in a Stop the Bleed group course can call Hacking at 307-577-2723.
