Team: The Stop the Bleed training team includes (left to right): Alesa Viau, RN; Danielle Meyer, RN; Matt Knollenberg, RN; Molly Szymanski, RN; Jen Heding, RN; and Kristen Jones, RT.
March 11, 2019
STOP THE BLEED KITS AND TRAINING AVAILABLE
ThedaCare Supports Training Throughout Waushara County
WILD ROSE, Wis – ThedaCare Medical Center-Wild Rose is committed to saving lives by distributing Stop the Bleed® kits throughout Wild Rose and Waushara County. In addition, a ThedaCare team is trained to offer Stop the Bleed education.
“The initiative is designed to help non-medically trained people recognize life-threatening bleeding and then provide helpful interventions,” said Kristen Jones, radiology technologist and emergency preparedness lead for the Wild Rose Team.
Stop the Bleed is a nationwide campaign to prevent fatalities from loss of blood. The American College of Surgeons and the Hartford Consensus organized the movement after the increase in mass shootings.
Jones and Danielle Meyer, registered nurse (RN) and trauma coordinator, lead the Wild Rose team. They became aware of the Stop the Bleed program as members of the Fox Valley Regional Trauma Advisory Council (FVRTAC). Four other registered nurses have also joined this team.
Kristen and Danielle: Kristen Jones, RT, (left) and Danielle Meyer, RN, display a Stop the Bleed kit in front of a community AED.
The ThedaCare-Wild Rose group now holds classes throughout the community to teach citizens how to use Stop the Bleed kits. In 2018, the Wild Rose team held eight public training sessions, with 70 people trained.
Through a grant from the FVRTAC, the ThedaCare-Wild Rose team placed more than 100 Stop the Bleed kits throughout Waushara County in late February. Those kits will be co-located with automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in various public buildings.
Stop the Bleed kits contain sterile gloves, a tourniquet, scissors, rolls of gauze, a large bandage and a Sharpie marker. The training sessions teach people how to use the kit to stop bleeding — specifically how to apply a tourniquet and how to pack a wound with gauze and hold consistent pressure.
“Always call 911 first, make sure the area around you is safe, then begin using the kit,” said Jones. “We want everyone to be aware of their surroundings.”
Jones noted the kits are practical for many traumas.
Stop the Bleed Kit: The Stop the Bleed kit contains sterile gloves, a tourniquet, scissors, rolls of gauze, a large bandage, and a Sharpie marker. The kits are now available for purchase ($40) at the gift shop at ThedaCare Medical Center-Wild Rose.
“Every day we come across situations where a Stop the Bleed kit can possibly help save a life,” she said.
The training also teaches people how to use the resources around them if a Stop the Bleed kit isn’t available.
“We are passionate about bringing this life-saving program to our community,” said Jones. “We greatly appreciate the support we’ve received from our organization. It is an example of ThedaCare living up to our mission to improve the health and lives of the communities we serve.”
Groups interested in hosting Stop the Bleed® programs are invited to call Kristen Jones at 920.622.6045 to schedule a presentation or visit www.bleedingcontrol.org to learn more.
About ThedaCare
For more than 110 years, ThedaCare® has been committed to finding a better way to deliver serious and complex healthcare to patients throughout Northeast and Central Wisconsin. The organization serves a community of more than 600,000 residents and employs more than 6,700 healthcare professionals throughout the regions. ThedaCare has seven hospitals located in Appleton, Neenah, Berlin, Waupaca, Shawano, New London and Wild Rose as well as 31 clinics in nine counties. ThedaCare is the first in Wisconsin to be a Mayo Clinic Care Network Member, giving our specialists the ability to consult with Mayo Clinic experts on a patient’s care. ThedaCare is a non-profit healthcare organization with a level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs as well as a foundation dedicated to community service.
For more information, visit www.thedacare.org or follow ThedaCare on Facebook and Twitter.
Media should call Cassandra Wallace, Public Relations Specialist at 920.442.0328 or the ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah switchboard at 920.729.3100 and ask for the marketing person on call.
