Telluride Med Ctr: “Stop the Bleed” Offered 5/21-24

17 May Telluride Med Ctr: “Stop the Bleed” Offered 5/21-24

In recognition of National EMS Week, the Telluride Regional Medical Center will partner with the Telluride Fire Protection District to offer free “Stop the Bleed” training in conjunction with the Fire District’s free CPR and AED courses scheduled May 21 – May 24.

For more information or to register for the upcoming CPR, AED and “Stop the Bleed” classes, call the Telluride Fire Protection District at 728-3801. Each class is limited to 15 people, so participation is on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Blood loss is the top cause of preventable death in trauma. We want to make sure everyone in the community is prepared to stop bleeding in any emergency,” said Melissa Tuohy, trauma nurse coordinator at the Telluride Regional Medical Center.

“Stop the Bleed” sessions, hosted by trauma nurses from the medical center, train bystanders to stop active, life threatening bleeding.

“We think this is very important training,” said Tuohy. “No matter how rapid the arrival of emergency responders, bystanders will always be first on the scene and the first link in someone’s chain of survival.”

This summer Tuohy anticipates “Stop the Bleed” wound kits will also be installed at AED stations, where portable electronic portable defibrillators are available for cardiac emergencies.

“Stop the Bleed” wound kits contain supplies such as gauze and tourniquets. Gauze can be used to pack wounds and apply pressure to stop bleeding.

Tourniquets are used to control heavy bleeding from an arm or leg, which is also known as extremity hemorrhage.

These efforts are part of a national “Stop the Bleed” campaign, aimed to turn regular citizens into first responders who can assist someone who may be bleeding from emergencies including accidents, motor vehicle crashes and active shooter events.

“We aim to do what CPR education has been doing for decades, we want to train and empower regular people to save lives,” said Tuohy.

Telluride Regional Medical Center provides the highest quality, comprehensive Primary Care and exceptional Emergency / Trauma Services. Since 1978 the medical center has evolved, wherever possible, right along with complex healthcare technologies and population growth while remaining within the 10,000-square-foot remodeled building, built in the 1960s.

Currently the Telluride Hospital District is working to secure a site for a new facility to serve the needs of the region today, tomorrow and 50 years into the future.