Students learn how to “Stop The Bleed”
By Julia Rodenberger
STAFF WRITER
AHS students received certificates in stopping traumatic bleeding after training offered by emergency room professionals during H4 on December 5.
Medical Opportunities Club, led by juniors Laksmhi Jayaprakash and Shriyaa Anandakumar, partnered with the Lawrence General Hospital to host Stop the Bleed: a nationwide campaign sponsored by the American College of Surgeons to address death by blood loss. Abigail Wertz, the program general of the trauma program at Lawrence General Hospital, led the free instruction alongside two emergency room nurses.
Attendees were provided the opportunity to step away if sensitive to gore; however, no real images of blood were shown. Trainers utilized rubber tubes with faux flesh wounds to demonstrate how to administer tourniquets and gauze onto severe injuries including lacerations, impalements, and amputation.
Students listen intently to the Stop The Bleed presentation.
Jayaprakash and Anandakumar began volunteering in the Emergency Center at Lawrence General Hospital this past summer, through which they were introduced to Stop the Bleed. “When I took the class at Lawrence General, there were people of various age groups,” Anandakumar elaborated. “It’s not just for students. Anybody can take it; it’s an important skill.”
The H-Block was open to all, drawing students and staff with varying interests beyond traditional medicine. Attendance numbers surpassed 20 participants.
Junior Dylan Moses participated in Stop the Bleed with aspirations to work for the Coast Guard in Search and Rescue. “First aid plays a big role in those fields,” Mose stated.
Moses expanded on the importance of first aid experience for high school communities.
“Unfortunately there’s been a number of school shootings, and individuals with gunshot wounds could be saved through treatment that is taught here,” Moses added. “I just want to be well vested in first aid in case I encounter problems in my life.”
Wertz repeatedly emphasized that traumatic bleeding is the number one preventable cause of death in the United States. Following a period of instruction, attendees were able to work firsthand with the faux medical supplies under supervision from Wertz and the two nurses.
While at Lawrence General Hospital, Jayaprakash and Anandakumar also volunteered briefly in the maternity and pediatric centers, respectively. In creating the Modern Opportunities Club in Fall of 2023, they aimed to explore the diversity of careers in the medical field. “We wanted to really delve into that in the club and explore everything else other than just doctor and nurse,” Jayaprakash elaborated.
Medical Opportunities Club meets every Wednesday at 3:00 pm in room 220, with opportunities for members to engage in various research projects. “The first one—you’ll see it on the H block—is a research campaign to analyze vaping in the student body,” Jayaprakash explained. “We’re working with the principal and the school administration to tackle the vaping problem.”
Jayaprakash hopes that Stop the Bleed will become a recurring event for AHS through continued partnership between the Medical Opportunities Club, Lawrence General Hospital, and AHS administration. “That would be amazing,” Jayaprakash said.
