Media Contact: Jennifer Palomino, Public Information Officer, PH-PIO@ventura.org
PDF Versions: English Press Release, Spanish Press Release
Ventura County, CA – Thursday, May 22 is National Stop the Bleed Day, a nationwide public health campaign designed to equip residents with lifesaving skills. The Ventura County Public Health, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency is committed to working with community partners and stakeholders to prepare the community to respond effectively to life-threatening emergencies. The EMS Agency provides training for county employees and community members in life-saving techniques for traumatic injuries, to ensure they have the skills to act quickly in critical situations. In addition, the agency has strategically pre-deployed public access bleeding control kits in various county government buildings equipped with tourniquets, pressure dressings, emergency trauma dressings, and wound-packing gauze so that individuals can take immediate action to save lives.
This united and coordinated effort was initiated in collaboration with the Ventura County Fire Department and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. The EMS Agency partners with transport providers, fire departments, acute care hospitals, and other stakeholders throughout the county to enhance emergency preparedness and ensure a seamless response when seconds matter most. Ventura County Medical Center, Los Robles Regional Medical Center, and the Ventura County Medical Reserve Corps Volunteers have been instrumental in providing Stop the Bleed community outreach. Through these collaborations, the EMS Agency is strengthening the chain of survival for those experiencing life-threatening bleeding emergencies.
Severe bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death in traumatic injuries. A study published in the National Institutes of Health found that about 40% of trauma-related deaths worldwide are due to uncontrolled bleeding or its complications.
Stop the Bleed is one of the nation’s largest public health campaigns designed to encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives. The goal is to save lives by training people across the country to stop traumatic bleeding. No matter how rapid the arrival of professional emergency responders, bystanders will almost always be first on the scene. A person who is bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes. Therefore, it is important to stop blood loss quickly. Those nearest to someone with life-threatening injuries are best positioned to provide lifesaving first care.
Visit https://stopthebleedproject.org/ to learn what individuals and organizations can do to participate and access training information. National Stop the Bleed Day is supported by the Department of Defense, the American College of Surgeons, the Department of Homeland Security, and many other organizations across the country.
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