CHICAGO: The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Stop the Bleed® program announced today that it has now surpassed the 1 million mark in terms of the number of people who have been trained to control major bleeding through its Stop the Bleed course. In late August, this milestone was reached through dedicated efforts by the ACS and partner organizations to reach people around the world who seek access to bleeding control training courses that teach them how them to become immediate responders in the event of a life threatening circumstances. Currently, 1,025,934 people have been trained, according to the ACS Committee on Trauma (COT). Of that number, 960,859 trainees are in the U.S., with the remainder of trainees residing in at least 100 countries around the world.
“Training over a million people to stop the bleed indicates that we are well on our way to empowering the public to save a life when someone nearby is severely bleeding,” said Lenworth M. Jacobs, Jr., MD, FACS, Medical Director of the ACS Stop the Bleed program, and Chair of the Hartford Consensus. “However, our long-term ambition is to train 200 million people, so we will continue our work to ensure that we reach that goal.”
The ability to recognize life-threatening bleeding and the ability to intervene effectively to save a person’s life are cornerstones of the Stop the Bleed program. For someone who is seriously bleeding, one person who is on the scene, at the right time, and who has the right skills can make a life or death difference until emergency professionals arrive.
Stop the Bleed courses typically last no more than 90 minutes and feature a presentation and a hands-on training where attendees learn how to apply pressure at the site of bleeding; pack a wound with a special type of gauze (hemostatic) to promote blood clotting and control bleeding; and correctly apply a tourniquet.
“In just three short years since the ACS Committee on Trauma began offering bleeding control training courses through our network of trauma centers, we have seen the program grow exponentially, helping people from all over the world learn these vital lifesaving skills,” said Eileen Bulger, MD, FACS, Chair of the ACS Committee on Trauma, and Chief of Trauma at Harborview Medical Center, Seattle.
In addition to over 1 million people being trained in bleeding control techniques, there are now more than 60,000 Stop the Bleed instructors around the world who help spread knowledge about the program and train those in their community to be prepared for a bleeding emergency.
“The Stop the Bleed program has grown tremendously since first being introduced, reaching everyone from students and teachers to members of Congress. We look forward to expanding the program further and training millions more in the coming years,” said David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, ACS Executive Director.
Stop the Bleed traces its origins to the aftermath of the Sandy Hook School shootings on December 14, 2012. Shortly afterward, the ACS partnered with emergency medical services, emergency physicians, law enforcement, the Department of Defense, and other interested national organizations to develop the Hartford Consensus (where the initial meetings convened in Hartford, Conn.). From this group, an emergency response goal emerged to improve survival following mass shootings and other intentional acts of mass violence by empowering civilians to take life-saving action when the need arises, regardless of the situation or cause of the significant bleeding. Stop the Bleed, a national public awareness campaign was later launched in October of 2015 by the White House, with a call to action to begin training more people to become immediate responders.
While its origin resulted from the response to mass shootings, Stop the Bleed training has saved many lives from bleeding that can result from every day traumatic events. Furthermore, several states have recently enacted legislation to support Stop the Bleed training and equipment in school systems and many companies have helped support positioning Stop the bleed equipment in public places.
The ACS COT looks forward to continuing to expand the training opportunities and partnering with professional organizations, state and federal legislators and industry to ensure that Stop the Bleed training and equipment are available across the globe as nothing is more tragic than a death from bleeding that could have been prevented.
To learn more about Stop the Bleed and to find a course near you, visit stopthebleed.org.
