In honor of National Stop the Bleed Month, observed annually in May, Valley View will host a series of free, hands-on classes throughout the month of May to teach attendees the knowledge and tools necessary to stabilize an injured person and control severe bleeding until first responders arrive on the scene. Led by Carly DeBeque, RN, Trauma Program Manager at Valley View, Valley View’s Stop the Bleed classes will be held Wednesdays in May at Valley View Hospital in Conference Room 2A, from 5:30 p.m.- 7 p.m.

Stop the Bleed is one of the nation’s largest public health campaigns, designed to enhance anyone’s ability to take decisive, lifesaving action to assist victims with traumatic injuries such as open wounds, gunshots or bleeding injuries as a result of accidents.

Under the leadership of the Department of Defense, the Stop the Bleed campaign takes the lessons learned on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan and translates the military’s techniques for treating traumatic injuries involving severe bleeding into a hands-on course that empowers people to control bleeding until first responders arrive. Volunteers teach Stop the Bleed classes throughout the nation.

Classes are open to those over the age of 12 and teach participants how to use a tourniquet and how to locate important anatomical locations of life-threatening bleeding. DeBeque encourages everyone, and in particular, students, to attend a May event. Certification is great for college resumes. Backcountry athletes are also encouraged to take part in certification, as uncontrolled bleeding in remote locations can result in poor outcomes.

To register, email carly.debeque@vvh.org. Advanced registration is required.

Upon class completion, each attendee will be officially Stop the Bleed certified.