Lindsay Doty
This month, the Hendricks County Health Department is distributing “Stop the Bleed” kits at Danville schools. The staff has been trained to use the kits to intervene during a bleeding emergency before help arrives. The bleeding control packages include the basics: gauze, scissors and a tourniquet with instructions.
“I believe this training makes our students safer by giving teachers another tool to use in case something happens,” Jeff Corder, public health preparedness coordinator with the Hendricks County Health Department, said. “Much like CPR training, this is something that not only can be used in schools, but anywhere that life-threatening bleeding may occur.”
A new state law requires all public schools to have at least five people trained with the kits by 2021. Hendricks County started training schools (public and private) at the beginning of the year and continues to distribute “Stop the Bleed” kits to all schools within the county.
Four kits will be distributed per school building.
Funding for the kits was secured in June through a grant with the Indiana State Department of Health and the Indiana District 5 Healthcare Coalition. The emergency kits stemmed from the aftermath of the 2012 Sandy Hook tragedy.
In Hendricks County, St. Susanna Catholic School, St. Malachy Catholic School, Avon Community School Corporation, Brownsburg Community School Corporation, Danville Community School Corporation and Plainfield Community School Corporation have already participated in training and will receive kits in the next few months.