Governor declares May 23 as National Stop the Bleed Day in the Mountain State

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Governor Jim Justice has proclaimed May 23 as National Stop the Bleed Day in the Mountain State. The WVU Medicine Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center (JMMTC) and the American College of Surgeons want people to learn how to Stop the Bleed^® in order to prevent death from hemorrhage. 

According to the American College of Surgeons, the Stop the Bleed campaign was initiated by a federal interagency workgroup convened by The White House National Security Council Staff under former President Barack Obama. The program continues to empower both civilians and first responders to make a difference in a life-threatening emergency by teaching them basic techniques of bleeding control.
    
“It is important that community members have the knowledge of how to react in a life-threatening emergency,” Gregory Schaefer, D.O., WVU Medicine trauma surgeon and physician champion of the Stop the Bleed campaign, said. “The Stop the Bleed initiative helps us educate civilians, medical personnel, emergency responders, and law enforcement to become leaders in hemorrhage response.” 

In 2018, the Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center trained 800 community members on the Stop the Bleed initiative. In addition, the Center also held train-the-trainer events, which have resulted in 150 new Stop the Bleed instructors, who can now go out and train others. Center staff members have provided and will continue to provide courses to local law enforcement, sororities and fraternities at WVU, local businesses, and other groups interested in completing the training.

“No one should die of hemorrhage before they reach the hospital,” Dr. Schaefer said. “As an academic medical center, we are responsible for educating the community and first responders on how to stop bleeding in an emergency.”

Groups and organizations wishing to receive Stop the Bleed training should contact the Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center at 304-598-4659 or email Leslie Willard, R.N., Stop the Bleed Coordinator, at lnwillard@wvumedicine.org. 

For more information on the Stop the Bleed campaign, visit www.bleedingcontrol.org. 

For more information on the Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center, visit www.wvumedicine.org/trauma.