Featuring life-like simulations at Taylorville Memorial Hospital, a free “Stop the Bleed” event taught the public how to handle life-threatening bleeding incidents.

Nineteen participants attended the session on Thursday, June 13. It lasted approximately 1.5 hours and was held in the Janice Hopper Auditorium at TMH.

“We are so grateful to have had this opportunity to teach this course to members of our community,” said Melissa Thomas, TMH foundation and community health specialist. “An injury can cause a person to bleed to death in less than five minutes, and life-threatening bleeds can happen at home, at work or in the community. We sincerely hope those who attended were able to learn how to act immediately to save themselves or someone else.”

No medical background was required to attend the event. Participants were given hands-on instruction on the ABC’s of bleeding: alert emergency responders by calling 9-1-1-, find the bleeding injury and how to correctly compress the wound to stop the bleeding, including practicing using a tourniquet.

Each participant received a free bleeding control kit to take with them, generously supplied through a community health outreach grant from the Taylorville Memorial Hospital Foundation.