Stop the Bleed training from the WVU Critical Care and Trauma Institute puts West Virginia on top

Thanks to the efforts of the WVU Critical Care and Trauma Institute, West Virginia has the highest number of individuals who have completed Stop the Bleed training per capita than every other state in the nation, according to information presented at the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma Clinical Congress meeting held Oct. 26-29 in San Francisco.

“It is nice to see West Virginia on top of a positive national health ranking, and we are proud to have been a part of the efforts to get there,” Gregory Schaefer, DO, WVU Medicine trauma surgeon and physician champion of the Stop the Bleed campaign, said. “The Stop the Bleed initiative is critical in educating community members on how to react in life-threatening emergencies, and it has been our honor to bring this life-saving knowledge to the people of West Virginia.”

Stop the Bleed is a national campaign motivated by the 2012 tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary School and multiple tragedies that have occurred in the ensuing years. The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma is leading the effort to save lives by teaching the civilian population to provide vital initial response to stop uncontrolled bleeding in emergency situations.

Through this national campaign, more than 1 million people completed Stop the Bleed training courses under the supervision of more than 60,000 qualified instructors.

The WVU Critical Care and Trauma Institute along with other trauma centers throughout the state are actively involved in the Stop the Bleed campaign, offering classes to various community and civic groups and school personnel. The Institute provides training to the community as well as instructor training to qualified individuals. Through a collaboration with the West Virginia Office of Emergency Services and the West Virginia Hospital Association, all of the hospitals in the state have received training kits, and qualified instructors have been trained.

For more information on Stop the Bleed, visit StoptheBleed.org. For more information on the WVU Critical Care and Trauma Institute, visit WVUMedicine.org/CriticalCare.