VALDOSTA — South Georgia Medical Center’s Mobile Healthcare Services is delivering life-saving bleeding control kits to schools in three South Georgia counties.

It is also teaching the appropriate use of the kits’ contents. 

During the next few months, schools in Echols, Lanier and Lowndes counties will benefit from the statewide Stop the Bleed grant, according to hospital officials.

Recently, SGMC Mobile Healthcare Services and the Lanier County EMA joined to train staff at Lanier County Elementary and Lanier County High School. Similar training was held for Echols County schools. Training for the Valdosta and Lowndes School Systems is set for this month.

“In an emergency, no matter how rapid the arrival of emergency professionals, bystanders will always be first on the scene,” said Chief David Bauch, SGMC Mobile Healthcare Services. “A person who is bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes. It is critical to quickly stop all types of bleeding.”

Earlier this year, the Georgia Trauma Commission along with the Georgia Trauma Foundation, the Georgia Society of the American College of Surgeons and the Georgia Committee on Trauma collaboratively launched the nationwide “Stop the Bleed” campaign in Georgia. 

The training puts knowledge gained by first responders and military into the hands of the public to save lives by stopping uncontrolled bleeding in emergency situations caused by a playground accident, sports injury or active shooter, according to hospital officials.

The first phase of the campaign includes the school response program, which is specifically designed to train and equip school staff on how to control bleeding with the tools provided. Bleeding-control kits contain a tourniquet, wound-packing materials and gloves to prevent further exposure.

Research has shown that bystanders, with little or no medical training, can become heroic lifesavers. Similar to the use of CPR or automatic defibrillators, improving public awareness about how to stop severe bleeding can be the difference between life and death for an injured person.

While the campaign has been funded to train and equip all Georgia public schools with bleeding-control kits, the efforts doesn’t stop there, according to hospital officials. 

The goal of the Stop the Bleed program is to build resilience by educating and empowering people to be aware of the simple steps that can be taken to stop or slow life-threatening bleeding.

For more information on the Stop the Bleed campaign, visit www.stopthebleedgeorgia.org or call SGMC’s EMS, (229) 433-7170.