Trained instructors from the Washington County Health Department are actively working to educate the community on life-saving techniques to reduce life-threatening bleeding. The nationally recognized “Stop the Bleed” program provides hands-on education and practice at no cost to prepare individuals to help in situations where someone is bleeding out due to an injury or trauma. The goal of this program is to save lives by training people across the country on how to take action and stop traumatic bleeding.
The Washington County Health Department team is available to provide on-site “Stop the Bleed” training for community organizations and businesses. Organizations interested in hosting a training session can contact Jared Blakeslee at 240-313-3410 or wash.health@maryland.gov. The team will bring all necessary equipment and trained instructors to accommodate the class size, with an ideal size of 25-30 participants and sessions lasting less than one hour.
Studies have shown that a person could bleed out from a traumatic injury in as little as three to five minutes. With approximately 40% of trauma-related deaths worldwide caused by bleeding or its consequences, hemorrhage is a common preventable cause of death in trauma cases. The “Stop the Bleed” program partners with organizations at the local and federal levels to spread awareness and training.
Recently, a Hagerstown man was sentenced in relation to a shooting in August 2022 that injured a woman. If interested in learning more about the “Stop the Bleed” program or hosting a training session, contact the Washington County Health Department for more information.