With local students back in school – and back on the roads and sports fields – St. Tammany Health System’s Trauma Services Department is doing its part to give local residents the knowledge they need to be a hero.
In a recent appearance on the public affairs program “Healthy Living,” STHS Trauma Services Manager Bethany Monistere discussed the health system’s free monthly Stop the Bleed classes, designed to teach members of the community how to stabilize a patient suffering a traumatic injury until EMTs arrive.
“Trauma is the number one cause of preventable death from people ages zero to 45, and uncontrolled bleeding is a particular concern,” Monistere said. “The good news is that it’s also easily preventable. That’s where Stop the Bleed comes in.”
Developed under the leadership of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, and in collaboration with the Hartford Consensus and the U.S. Department of Defense, the program is built around hourlong classes that teach simple things people can do to arrest bleeding.
Upon completing the course, participants earn Stop the Bleed certification.
An online option introduced earlier this year lets them take the classroom portion of the course on their own time, then attend a 10-minute, hands-on session with STHS’s Stop the Bleed team to complete their certification.
See below for dates and times of classes scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023 – all of which are free – and visit StTammany.health/Bleed to register.
In-person sessions
- Sept. 12, from 5 to 6 p.m.
- Oct. 5, from 5 to 6 p.m.
- Nov. 13, from 5 to 6 p.m.
Skills-only / Hands-on sessions
- Sept. 12, from 3 to 4 p.m.
- Oct. 5, from 3 to 4 p. m.
- Nov. 13, from 3 to 4 p.m.