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Campus better equipped for life-or-death situations thanks to Carle collaboration

Campus better equipped for life-or-death situations thanks to Carle collaboration
Equipping the community with tools to help stop bleeding during emergencies will save lives.

Through regional healthcare coalition funding, Carle Foundation Hospital awarded Illini Emergency Medical Services (IEMS), 80 bleeding control kits. Officials will place the kits in the public access Automated External Defibrillator (AED) cabinets around the University of Illinois (Urbana) campus following on-campus trainings. 

The bleeding control kits contain what bystanders would need – including gauze and a tourniquet – to help save lives in the critical moments after an incident where people may die from uncontrolled bleeding.
 
The kit includes step-by-step how-to guides. And there’s a free Stop the Bleed app available in the Apple and Android stores.
 
“Download it today – before you need it,” Anita Guffey, Regional Emergency Management director at Carle said. “It walks you through the steps quickly and easily so anyone can care for someone in need.”
 
For those who prefer some training before they need it, help is available. Just ask.
 
“Right now we’re training IEMS members, and then we’ll open it up to other groups on campus so they can train their teams,” Brian Brauer, RN, Ed.D, associate director, Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI)  and Emergency Management Service (EMS) said.
 
Brauer said it’s important for the campus – and the community – to adopt a culture of preparedness without creating panic. 

“Emergency preparedness should be as routine as your annual health check-up with your physician,” Guffey said. Brauer agrees.

By placing equipment in critical, populated areas, Brauer hopes to increase awareness and educate people to know what to do in an emergency.

The stop the bleed kits add another layer to the public resources available for the general public to deal with emergency situations.
 
“Of course we hope they’re never put to use, but it’s important to have these kits in case something happens,” Guffey said.
 
She said these kits prepare anyone for everyday emergencies such as vehicle or bicycle crashes, knife accident in the kitchen, or accidental injuries from natural disasters. 

“Using a power tool or machine around your apartment or dormitory can result in an injury where a person could lose a fatal amount of blood,” Brauer said. “An emergency can happen anywhere and to anyone. We want our region to feel safe as possible, and to feel prepared to respond in these situations.”

To request bleeding control training on campus, contact IEMS at illinimedservices@illinois.edu. At Carle, contact Emergency Management at Emergencymanagement@carle.com.

Categories: Culture of Quality

Tags: Champaign-Urbana, collaboration, emergency, Stop the Bleed kits, University of Illinois