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“Stop the Bleed” Program

St. Therese of Lisieux will be hosting a “STOP THE BLEED” program presentation by Brian Werner, the Deputy Marshall of Shelby Township Fire Department on September 25 from 6:30-7:30pm. You may ask, “what is this program about and why are we having this lecture at St. Therese?”

Sadly, as we all know, shooting situations are all too common in our country nowadays. With the continuing violence in our nation’s schools, churches, and other places where people should feel safe, the American College of Surgeons’ (ACS) developed an educational program called “Stop the Bleed” to empower the general public to make a difference in a life-threatening emergency.

Since a person who is bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes, it is important to quickly stop the blood loss. Those nearest to someone with life threatening injuries are best positioned to provide first aid care until a professional can arrive. YOU may be able to save a life by taking some simple actions right after the trauma. This education will help you anywhere you go where a life threatening bleeding injury might occur. This could happen at work, church, school, entertainment or political event, or even in your own home.

After attending this session, you will be able to recognize life-threatening bleeding in someone who is injured, effectively assist that person, and save a life. Studies have shown help provided by an immediate responder can make the difference between life and death, even before medical professionals arrive.

During the “Stop the Bleed” presentation, you will learn to:

  • Determine if an area is safe for you to proceed toward a victim to provide assistance.
  • Identify any nearby tools to assist you such as a publicly placed bleeding control kit (like the one at St. Therese) or everyday items that can be used to control bleeding.
  • Use your hands to apply direct pressure at the site of the wound to stop bleeding.
  • Pack a deep wound with cloth or gauze to control bleeding.
  • Correctly apply a tourniquet to an injured limb to stop bleeding.
  • Keep the victim calm until help arrives.

For more than a decade, the American College of Surgeons has been a leader in bringing this training program to communities around United States and the world. The program now operates in 138 countries, including Ukraine, where it has been used to bring these life-saving techniques to citizens impacted by the war.

As the program has grown to train more than 2.6 million individuals in bleeding control techniques worldwide, trauma surgeon David S. Shapiro, MD, MHCM, FCCM, FACS, is one of many surgeons who has witnessed firsthand how the program can empower everyone to learn life-saving skills. Training sites have included firehouses, community centers, hospitals, and schools. Even school children have been taught. When teaching courses in the community and speaking about the program, Dr. Shapiro often refers to STOP THE BLEED® as “the CPR of bleeding”.  

None of us want to think bad things can happen, but unfortunately they do. The methods taught during this program can be used during situations such as severe weather conditions, active shooter incidents, accidents, and trauma situations, but emergencies can occur ANYWHERE!  Although the information in this presentation might sound scary and you don’t want to think about situations like this, you could save someone’s life if you are educated!

St. Therese of Lisieux Church has a Trauma Kit which is located in the Emergency Medical Supplies alcove in the Gathering Space near our First Aid Back packs and Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). Should there ever be an emergency in the church area where people are injured and bleeding, the kit can easily be removed from the wall and brought to the injured person(s).

The Health Ministry is hosting this educational offering in the evening, in an effort to reach as many people as possible to participate in this important event. Please RSVP the Parish Secretary at 586 254-4433 or Marilyn Cito, Parish Nurse at 586-254-4433 Ex. #320 or via email at Marilync@stol.com.

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