Residents in Gainesville can now trust that more Gainesville City Police officers will have the tools needed to avoid the number one cause of preventable death after injury: bleeding. NGMC Gainesville and the Healthcare Coalition for Region B of Northeast Georgia recently partnered to donate 30 of the Georgia Trauma Commission’s Stop the Bleed kits to the local Gainesville City Police Department leadership.
Uncontrolled bleeding can result in death within minutes – even before emergency responders can arrive.
“In cases where life-threatening bleeding from an arm or leg is happening, it is absolutely necessary that the bleeding be controlled as soon as possible,” said Dr. Matthew Vassy, director of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. “The first minutes are crucial in saving a life. By providing law enforcement with the training and equipment to be able to control bleeding at the scene of an injury, we will maximize the likelihood of survival and recovery.”
“NGHS and our Healthcare Coalition have additional kits to be issued throughout the month of September, which coincidentally is National Preparedness Month,” shared Luke Anderson, manager of Emergency Preparedness. “Our goal is to get more of these kits into the hands of law enforcement, hospital, first responder and school staff, where they can make a difference.”
NGMC encourages any local schools that are interested in receiving Stop the Bleed Kits to reach out to Luke Anderson at luke.anderson@nghs.com to get more details.
For more information about NGMC’s Level I Trauma Center, visit www.nghs.com/trauma.