United Group Insurance

Cass County Public Health delivers Stop the Bleed Kits to SWITA

News

July 11th, 2019 by admin

L to R: Linda Edelman, RN, Cass County Public Health; Mark Lander, Transit Director, SWIPCO; John McCurdy, Executive Director, SWIPCO; Beth Olsen, Director, Cass County Public Health.

ATLANTIC- Cass County Public Health recently delivered more than one hundred Stop the Bleed Kits to Southwest Iowa Transit Agency thanks to funding from the Southwest Iowa Preparedness Partners (SWIPP).

Bleeding from a traumatic injury can lead to death in just a few minutes, well before medical help can arrive, which is why bleeding control kits and training is vital. To date, Cass County Public Health has trained more than 700 people on the Stop the Bleed Program and distributed more than 450 bleeding control kits for use in emergencies. Cass County Public Health trained more than 70 SWITA drivers and staff in April on the Stop the Bleed curriculum, which includes recognizing and controlling life-threatening bleeding through wound packing techniques and the use of tourniquets.

“We truly appreciate the training and the donation of the Stop the Bleed Kits. SWITA operates more than 100 vehicles in 8 counties in Southwest Iowa and by placing one of these in each of our vehicles and training our drivers in their use, we are not only helping our passengers, but anyone near a SWITA bus should a need for the kits arise.  No one ever wants to come upon the scene of an accident, but this donation puts many more tools out in the community where they can be of the most use,” said John McCurdy, Executive Director of Southwest Iowa Planning Council.

The kits were made available through SWIPP, which is a 12-county coalition that meets monthly with the purpose to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from incidents that affect the health of the population in the service area to decrease mortality and morbidity.

The Stop the Bleed campaign is a national initiative originating from the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, the White House, and other governmental and private agencies. The program is currently being championed by the American College of Surgeons-Committee on Trauma. The program is based on recommendations identified in the Hartford Consensus, which was a review of mass casualty and active shooter events. The program is designed to teach civilian bystanders basic hemorrhage control techniques.

Cass County Public Health offers free Stop the Bleed training for any interested groups, such as schools, churches, community groups, or businesses. Please call (712) 243-7551 for more information or to schedule your class today.