Knowing how to control bleeding from a serious injury is important for everyone. This year marks the 6th annual National STOP THE BLEED® Month in May, and the 7th annual National STOP THE BLEED® Day on May 23. There are several ways to become informed, educated, and empowered.
Attend an online or in-person course to gain this valuable knowledge. Check out the resources below to find a course, spread the word, and learn about how STOP THE BLEED® is being implemented around the country.
Get empowered: Follow the conversation on the ACS Twitter and Instagram accounts, and join the conversation on social media by using #NSTBM.
The ACS STOP THE BLEED® program supports the 50th anniversary of National EMS Week, which will be held from May 19-25 and recognizes the extraordinary everyday impact of emergency medical personnel. The Thursday of EMS Week marks National STOP THE BLEED® Day.
The Washington Post recently highlighted the remarkable story of U.S. Marine Commandant Gen. Eric Smith whose life was saved by bystanders, EMS, and physicians at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, including ACS Fellow and cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Thomas MacGillivray. Watch Dr. MacGillivray discuss maintaining the “chain of life”—from bystanders to EMS to surgeons.
The American College of Surgeons STOP THE BLEED program arms people with the knowledge and technical abilities to truly make a difference in a person’s life if a bleeding emergency occurs. I think that realization is a profoundly positive and empowering experience for everyone who takes the course.
— Kenji Inaba, MD, FACS Chair of the STOP THE BLEED® Committee of the ACS Committee on Trauma
From Roswell, Georgia, just north of Atlanta to the sandy beaches of Ecuador, STOP THE BLEED® empowers communities worldwide to learn basic life-saving bleeding control techniques.
The ACS continues to advocate for legislation that helps increase access to bleeding control education and kits at the state level. In late March, Washington State passed legislation mandating that schools in the state maintain and provide bleeding control equipment on campus. Similar legislation has been passed in 13 other states. Learn more about our legislative efforts for STOP THE BLEED®.
If we lose too much blood and it is not controlled, someone can die within minutes from a severe bleeding injury. The steps taught in a STOP THE BLEED® course can help keep a person from losing vital blood, which is necessary to perfuse all the organs and cells in our bodies.
— George W. Contreras, MPH, MS, RN ACS STOP THE BLEED® Instructor
The lecture part of the STOP THE BLEED® course is now available virtually. Use our Find a Course tool to search for upcoming classes. When possible, you will have to be physically present to participate in the skills portion of the STOP THE BLEED® course to become fully trained.
Visit our resource hub to access a variety of ways for you to learn more about how to STOP THE BLEED®.
Visit the STOP THE BLEED® shop to find life-saving solutions with kits and stations featuring the ACS Branded C-A-T® Tourniquet.