4,685 people were trained in lifesaving “Stop the Bleed” techniques during 2019 with the help of dozens of community police, fire and EMS agencies, and other partners.
UC Health and UC College of Medicine trauma and emergency medicine physicians, nurses, and staff members provide the free training to schools, churches, hospitals, businesses and others throughout the year in partnership with the Cincinnati Fire Department and other first response agencies.
“We are excited about the great work done by Stop the Bleed instructors in our community. They are doctors, nurses, police officers, fire and EMS professionals across Greater Cincinnati, teaching lifesaving interventions that anyone can do. This program enables everyday people to make a difference,” said Ryan Earnest, MD, assistant professor of surgery at the UC College of Medicine and medical director for Stop the Bleed Cincinnati.
“Stop the Bleed” is a national preparedness program created in 2016 by the American College of Surgeons. The program aims to reduce the number of people who die from uncontrolled bleeding during mass casualty events, shootings, natural disasters and everyday emergencies by training ordinary citizens in lifesaving bleeding control techniques.
“The CFD is proud to partner with UC Health to offer this training. It’s a great program that can save lives,” said Cincinnati Fire Department Capt. Kevin Uhl, a Stop the Bleed instructor.
At the end of a training session, participants are able to identify life-threatening bleeding, use their hands to stop the bleeding, pack a wound and correctly apply a tourniquet. In Greater Cincinnati alone, these techniques have been used to save the lives of people injured in not only shootings but also workplace and hiking accidents.
Since 2017, UC Health has trained nearly 10,000 people across Greater Cincinnati in “Stop the Bleed.” Nationally, “Stop the Bleed” has trained more than one million people since 2016.
UC Health has also funded tourniquet kits for every Cincinnati Police Department cruiser and partnered with the Cincinnati Fire Department to provide “Stop the Bleed” training in every high school across Cincinnati. And last year, UC Health installed bleeding control kits alongside every defibrillator in each of its clinical and administrative buildings.
UC Health is home to Greater Cincinnati’s only Level I trauma center for adults, offering an unparalleled level of critical care and emergency medicine expertise. UC Health clinicians also conduct scientific and clinical research in traumatic injury, and UC Medical Center is home to the UC Institute for Military Medicine.
“Stop the Bleed” training is available to organizations upon request, and free classes are also provided monthly for members of the general public. For information or to register, call 513-558-7820 or click here.