PSUSD teams with Desert Care Network for ‘Stop the Bleed’ training
Staff members from Palm Springs Unified School District teamed up with Desert Care Network to learn life saving skills with training called "Stop the Bleed."
The principal of Rancho Mirage Elementary School, Shane Hagar, knows an emergency can happen at any moment, and he wants to be ready for it so he atteneded the training.
"It makes me more comfortable in my position as principal in applying immediate response to student trauma," said Hagar.
Hagar along with other staff at PSUSD did the 90-minute training. They used fake limbs to learn how to save life with basic bleeding control techniques. Like how to put on a tourniquet, pack a wound with gauze, and apply pressure.
"I think doing the hands on is really what brings things to light of how important it is that you understand that we as educators understand these skills," said Hagar.
About 100 staff members total did the training on Wednesday. PSUSD officials said the training would prepare staff to respond quickly and deliver advanced first aid to people experiencing severe bleeding in an accident, natural disaster, or multiple-casualty event.
Gael Whetstone is a registered nurse at Desert Regional Medical Center and led the training.
"A lot of deaths in trauma are from bleeding, loss of blood. And if we can stop that bleeding, then the life is saved," said Whetstone.
She said the stop the bleed training was born out of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Connecticut.
"The faculty can provide immediate care, prior to the paramedics arriving, it works, and it saves lives," said Whetstone.
The district will continue to work with Desert Care Network to train more of its staff. Also, the district plans to expand on the training by building a program that consistently keeps staff trained in how to stop bleeding.
"I'm not just a parent, I'm a grandparent as well. Participating in this training today really demonstrated to me how crucial it is to have that extra layer of safety on every campus," said Hagar.
The district has offered other Emergency Preparedness training, including CPR, AED, and Narcan programs.
