On Friday, November 1, Tonya Martin, Director of Emergency Services and EMS liaison at Odessa Regional Medical Center, partnered with other local organizations to train to community members to “Stop the Bleed.”
Stop the Bleed is a national awareness campaign intended to cultivate grassroots efforts that encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives.
Martin, who is a certified instructor for the Stop the Bleed program, has worked with other local organizations to actively train and educate community members, teachers, and fellow hospital staff members, both clinical and nonclinical, to recognize life-threatening bleeding and intervene effectively.
“Loss of blood is one of the main reasons why people lose their live to injuries,” said Martin. “Whether you’re on the highway, in the workplace, or in schools, this training will provide people with the necessary education to help save lives.”
The Stop the Bleed organization has trained more than 1 million people, but their goal is to increase that to 200 million to make our nation more resilient by better preparing public to save lives if people nearby are severely bleeding. For more information about Stop the Bleed, visit www.stopthebleed.org.