NYU Winthrop Hospital Teaches Adelphi Staff Lifesaving Techniques

NYU Winthrop Hospital Trauma Program Manager, Judy Jax, trains Adelphi University Public Safety Officers during a Stop the Bleed Program that NYU Winthrop Hospital provided to public safety officers and other Adelphi University staff.

In a continued effort to equip citizens with the education and techniques to stop life-threatening bleeding in the event of an unexpected tragedy, the trauma team from NYU Winthrop Hospital, an ACS Level 1 Trauma Center, teamed up with Adelphi University to provide the Hospital’s Stop the Bleed program to members of the Adelphi Public Safety Department. Adelphi, located in Garden City, is Long Island’s oldest private coeducational university.

Stop the Bleed is a national program initiated by the American College of Surgeons and supported by Homeland Security. The program encourages everyday citizens to become trained and empowered to assist in a bleeding emergency before professional medical aid arrives. Bystanders are usually the first on the scene following a calamitous event and best positioned to provide immediate care to sustain life after blood loss. NYU Winthrop was the first organization in Nassau County to reach into mainstream communities with its Stop the Bleed program, with an ambitious goal to create better prepared citizens who can play a pivotal part in helping to reduce deaths from bleeding.

“The most frequent cause of preventable death from extremity injury is bleeding from serious arm and leg wounds,” said Fahd Ali, MD, a lead Trauma Surgeon at NYU Winthrop Hospital and a chief trauma surgeon aligned with the New York State Police. “We as a community have the power to help prevent unnecessary deaths by undergoing Stop the Bleed training, and we are proud to partner with Adelphi University on this important initiative. Our hope is that, over time, Stop the Bleed becomes a standard lifesaving program just like CPR.”

“As a university that prides itself on being a home to nearly 8,000 graduate and undergraduate students, as well as 2,000 faculty and other employees, Adelphi University is pleased to partner with NYU Winthrop on a program that will elevate the level of safety and preparedness on our campus in the event of an unexpected tragedy, whether it’s a calamitous event or an individual with a severe injury,” said Robert Hughes, Adelphi’s executive director of Public Safety & Transportation. “In today’s world, preparedness is key, and we thank NYU Winthrop for taking the lead on such an important initiative.”

“When I first came in here, I had no idea how to use a tourniquet to save someone’s life,” said Adelphi Public Safety Officer Clemente Diego, upon completing the course. “Now I’m so confident about my ability to someday save others in need.”

“The training was beautiful,” added Sergeant Raymond Cooper, another Adelphi Public Safety Officer. “I was a police officer, but we never really got to see that part [stopping the bleeding]. EMTs did that. Now I feel empowered.”

According to a National Academies of Science study, trauma is the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 46. That trauma includes life-threatening injuries from car accidents, gun violence, mass casualty incidents and terrorism, as well as from home and work injuries.

Stop the Bleed applies some of that knowledge to life-threatening bleeding in the civilian population. The program was instigated by a physician who examined the wounds among those killed in the Sandy Hook massacre in Newtown, Connecticut and determined that if pressure had been immediately applied to some wounds, deaths would have been prevented.

The Stop the Bleed program at NYU Winthrop focuses on teaching tactics to recognize life-threatening bleeding and provide immediate response to control that bleeding including by direct pressure, the use of tourniquets, or packing (filling) a wound with gauze or clean cloth. Signs of life-threatening bleeding can include blood that is spurting out of a wound or pooling on the ground, clothing that is soaked with blood, and bleeding in a victim who becomes confused or unconscious. Bleeding wounds, such as to the arms and legs, can many times be controlled by direct pressure. (Chest and abdominal injuries usually cause internal bleeding and cannot be stopped outside a hospital.)

Public or private organizations interested in more information about NYU Winthrop’s Stop the Bleed Program may contact Judy Jax at jjax@nyuwinthrop.org or telephone: 516-663-8708.