Joey Wahler (Host): It is a program that helps save lives. So, we're discussing Stop the Bleed. Our guest is Alex Roeder. She's an injury prevention and outreach coordinator with Tampa General Hospital. This is Community Connect: presented by TGH. Thanks for joining us. I'm Joey Wahler. Hi there, Alex. Welcome.

Alexandria Roeder, RN: Hi. Thank you for having me.

Host: Oh, great to have you. This is such a great program. And for those unfamiliar with it, first in a nutshell, what is the Stop the Bleed Program and why is it so important?

Alexandria Roeder, RN: Absolutely. So, Stop the Bleed is the CPR of bleeding, essentially. So, it was originally created out of tragedy. In 2012, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting happened. And I don't know if you remember, Joey, but the nation was devastated. Twenty-six people died at the school, and many of those people died of extremity, bleeding. And we could have avoided this, that potentially if someone were able to apply pressure packing or a tourniquet, they potentially could have made it to EMS. They could have made it to the ER, they could have potentially made it to recovery. And so, that's the big why on why we do this, why we're passionate about teaching this. Because it only takes three to five minutes to lose all of the blood in your body. And it usually is going to take our paramedics and our EMTs about 10 minutes to get to your location on average. And so, as you can see, you can lose all of the blood in your body before professional help arrives, and that's where the bystanders come in that can help.

Host: That's really the whole idea behind this, right? The fact that you don't want to find out some of the stuff you just told us about until it's too late. So, that being said, how has Tampa General Hospital integrated Stop the Bleed into its community outreach and trauma prevention efforts?

Alexandria Roeder, RN: Yeah. So, we have been teaching Stop the Bleed since the program started back in 2015, and we have been growing the program ever since. We have taught the Florida Highway Patrol, and we have taught our own security officers. We teach community members. I have been to countless schools teaching educators how to address life-threatening bleeding. We teach just regular community people, and it's amazing to really see what this program can do and get the information out there.

Host: Now, you, of course, are a registered nurse. What type of professional typically teaches these Stop the Bleed courses?

Alexandria Roeder, RN: So, I'm an operating room nurse, and I'm very familiar with tourniquet use. But Stop The Bleed is organized by the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons has a specific list of people who can teach Stop the Bleed. And those include physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, EMTs, paramedics, a bunch of different people can teach it.

Host: And this includes learning how to use a particular kit, right?

Alexandria Roeder, RN: So, it does have a kit that kind of goes with it, but we teach in the course that you don't actually need this kit to still help. So in the kit, there is some gauze and a tourniquet, some gloves and scissors, and a Sharpie for the tourniquet later. But we teach that even if you don't have that available to you, you can still help. And we can apply pressure and packing with a simple T-shirt or a towel that not everything has to be perfect in order to be able to intervene.

Host: So, what would you say from your experience, Alex, are some of the biggest misconceptions people may have about bleeding emergencies or their ability to help before the first responders arrive on the scene.

Alexandria Roeder, RN: I think the biggest misconception is that I don't want to do it wrong. When people come into these circumstances, they are scared and afraid that they might do something wrong. And I have to say to all of my classes that anything that you do is better than doing nothing. So, any help that you can provide is absolutely worth it, very meaningful for helping that person survive. Because they're like, "Oh, you know what if I pack the wound this way, or pack the wound that way..." And in the thick of it, when you're in that emergency and someone is really injured in front of you, doing something is always going to be better than doing nothing.

Host: Wow. Great advice indeed. So, we hear about the importance of CPR training, but do you think sometimes Stop the Bleeding gets relatively overlooked in comparison?

Alexandria Roeder, RN: I do think that CPR gets a beautiful reputation, and the American Heart Association has done an incredible job at training the public on what to do if someone stops breathing or their heart stops beating. I do believe that this hemorrhage control piece, this bleeding emergency piece, is missing in a lot of standardized education that we give out to people.

But I do know that the tide is turning, that we are seeing this change. And that more and more people are interested in adding on Stop The Bleed classes after their CPR class or I've heard that you'll see more and more Stop The Bleed kits around. So actually, in your AED, which is the thing that we shock people with if it's indicated when we're doing CPR, now, if you go and you look at the grocery store or just out and about in the community, a lot of times you will see a bleeding control kit by that AED. And that's some really positive change that we've been advocating for, that we are very supportive of because having those two things together just solidifies that you have what you need in case of a real emergency.

Host: How about from your experience, Alex, a story that perhaps you can share or a moment that really best illustrates the impact of the Stop The Bleeding training, maybe a time when someone used the skills they learned to save a life, as we alluded to at the top?

Alexandria Roeder, RN: Yeah. I have to say that, when people come back after the class I teach and they tell me that they've used the training, it is a really impactful moment because I teach hundreds and hundreds of people every year how to stop life-threatening bleeding. And you know that your education is going somewhere. But to have that person come back and tell you like, "Hey, I used this, and it really did help save a life." Like example, a couple months ago I had someone that had taken my class at the TGH Outpatient Center, and her mom fell onto a glass wine bottle. And she made a very good size gash in her thigh. It was probably the entire length of her thigh. And so, she was able to use pressure packing and she was also able to apply a tourniquet to her mom after this fall. And she said, "It was incredibly scary, but I knew what I needed to do. And I felt like after taking this class, I was prepared to take the steps I needed to help my mom." And I just thought that could be anybody's mom or you know, anybody's neighbor. And when the EMTs arrived at her home where they were, they were like, "You really saved her life. She wouldn't have made it if this tourniquet wasn't applied." And I think there's nothing more fulfilling than that.

Host: That's a great story and you talk about fulfilling. And I'm wondering, you're discussing this from the standpoint mainly and rightfully so, of how this can help someone that's bleeding. But it's really a feeling of empowerment as well, isn't it? Knowing that the person that has gone through the stop the bleeding training can potentially help save a life. You think about it, if you suddenly see someone in distress, rather than your first thought being, "Oh, boy, what do I do?" Your first thought is I know exactly what to do.

Alexandria Roeder, RN: It's incredibly empowering. And we teach just regular everyday people how to do this. And it encourages them to act. Because they've had this training, they are able to keep slightly more calm in these situations, because your heart is beating out of your chest if you've ever experienced something like this. But they have the clarity of like, "No, I know what to do. I have learned this. I know how to act." Like, don't go into the fight or flight mode of flight. Don't flee from the situation, but let's go in there and help and really change a life. So, I think that's a really beautiful thing, that it empowers the public to act.

Host: Yeah. No question about that. And in summary, if someone joining us wants to in fact get involved, take a Stop the Bleed course, what's the best way for them to do that?

Alexandria Roeder, RN: I would love to have the listeners at my classes, we teach them for free, a few times a month. I also teach them out in the community, like community centers and things. I hope to see everyone in my class and to really change our community in such a positive and impactful way.

Host: Yeah, very well put. And folks, we trust you are now more familiar with Stop the Bleed. Alex, keep up all your great work, including with this vitally important program. We appreciate the time and thanks so much again.

Alexandria Roeder, RN: Thank you.

Host: And for more information, please visit tgh.org/stopthbleed. If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to like, subscribe, and follow Community Connect: presented by TGH on your favorite podcast platform. If you found this episode helpful, please do share it on your social media. I'm Joey Wahler. Thanks again for being part of Community Connect: presented by TGH.