ST. LOUIS — It has been a violent summer in St. Louis and vicious crimes can happen anywhere. If you or someone around you suffered a severe injury, would you know what to do?
The first three things you need to remember – get safe, find the bleeding and apply pressure.
Stop the Bleed aims to educate people with the lifesaving skills to stop a traumatic bleed from a gunshot, accident or any situation.
Stop the Bleed is a movement that started after the Sandy Hook School shooting. So far 5,000 St. Louisans have gone through the course and roughly 5,000 kits have been distributed according to Laurie Punch, an organizer.
Punch, who is also a doctor, said this lifesaving training connects the community with the hospital.
“Someone has to make it alive in order for (doctors) to help,” she said.
“The 10 minutes after someone is injured can be the difference in life and death. The best help you can help might be the person right beside you or maybe yourself.”
Violence comes from untreated trauma and too many in Saint Louis are stuck in a cycle of trauma Punch said.
Stop the Bleed STL is trying to break that cycle by offering mental health, pain relief and stress management support.
There’s a free Stop the Bleed class on Wednesday July 10 at Trinity Episcopal Church in the Central West End at 4 p.m. Click here to register for free.