Stop the Bleed Indiana

As my family and I fled the Ft Lauderdale Airport this January from danger posed by a mass shooting, I realized that I would have no clue what to do if someone nearby became injured and needed my assistance. After this  experience, I began researching what bystanders could do to save lives before first responders arrive to the scene of an emergency. I found that, in light of recent mass shooting events, the Department of Homeland Security launched the Stop the Bleed initiative, which aims to educate the public on how to respond to trauma situations before first responders can arrive at the scene. Goals of the campaign include educating the public in the use of bleeding control/trauma kits and encouraging the community to learn other necessary skills. While mass shootings receive the most attention in the media, potentially fatal bleeding can also occur in car accidents, in the workplace, or at home. This initiative has the potential to save thousands of lives per year.

I have been organizing the campaign in Indiana so that trauma kits which contain latex gloves, tourniquets, compression bandages, and clotting gauze can be distributed throughout the city of Columbus. These kits would be especially useful in churches, schools, or other public facilities which are considered to be soft targets. I also aim to educate, with the help of healthcare professionals, as many people as possible regarding the use of these kits.