American College of Surgeons Applauds New Connecticut Law Empowering the Public to Control Severe Bleeding | Newswise
Newswise — CHICAGO — The American College of Surgeons (ACS) commends the Connecticut General Assembly for passing HB 7200, AN ACT CONCERNING BLEEDING CONTROL TRAINING AND KITS, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. This new law makes Connecticut the 15th state to enact bleeding control legislation and will help make bleeding control training and kits more widespread across the state, empowering anyone to save a life if they are nearby when a bleeding emergency occurs.
“What we are really trying to do is stop bleeding as soon as it starts. This law sends a strong signal that if someone is bleeding severely, anyone is empowered to get involved and stop the bleeding,” said Lenworth M. Jacobs, Jr., MD, FACS, who was instrumental in advocating for this legislation. “This is right up there with CPR. It’s a public good. Everybody can do it, and everybody should do it.”
Dr. Jacobs is a former ACS Regent and trauma surgeon from Connecticut who, after the tragic 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, convened a panel of national experts to evaluate the response to such emergencies. Shortly after this panel, called the Hartford Consensus, released their expert recommendations on how to improve survival for people with severe bleeding, the STOP THE BLEED® program, a national public awareness campaign, was launched in October of 2015 by the White House.
“Not only was this born locally, but it goes beyond gun violence. We’re Connecticut. We have everything — beaches to mountains, rivers to roads, and everything in between has potential to result in injury. Because all of us are susceptible to those injuries, all of us should be ready to treat them,” said David S. Shapiro, MD, MHCM, FCCM, FACS, vice-chair of the ACS Stop the Bleed Committee, who was also heavily involved in advocating for this bill.
Key elements of the new law include:
- Requires the establishment of a bleeding control training program in every district health department following the ACS Committee on Trauma’s training model, with certification that empowers them to train others.
- Requires regular training in every health district for first responders, school staff, and local employees.
- Requires at least one bleeding control kit to be installed on each floor level of every building the state or its political subdivisions own.
- Requires at least one bleeding control kit to be installed on each floor of newly constructed or substantially renovated public buildings, places of public accommodation, or resort or amusement facilities.
The bill had 27 individual bipartisan sponsors along with the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Security. In addition to Dr. Jacobs and Dr. Shapiro, Ron Gross, MD, FACS, and Shea Gregg, MD, FACS, helped educate and gain support among Connecticut state legislators.
In trauma care, bleeding injuries are a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Anyone can learn to control bleeding a save a life with three methods: After calling emergency personnel and ensuring the scene is safe, apply direct pressure to the wound, pack the wound with gauze or clothing, and apply a tourniquet if appropriate.
About ACS Stop the Bleed
The ACS Stop the Bleed program administers the premier bleeding control course and was created by leading trauma and emergency response professionals. ACS Stop the Bleed is the largest global provider of bleeding control training and is instrumental in the development of both state and national legislation in the U.S. to empower the public with training and access to Stop the Bleed kits. Learn more at stopthebleed.org.
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About the American College of Surgeons
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for all surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has approximately 90,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. “FACS” designates that a surgeon is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
