La Crosse school nurses receive “Stop the Bleed” training

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WEAU) - Nurses within the School District of La Crosse are becoming better equipped to help students dealing with traumatic injuries.

EMS specialists with the La Crosse Fire Department (LCFD) provided “Stop the Bleed” training to nurses at Hamilton Elementary School on Monday.

The training is part of a regional initiative by the LCFD and Gundersen Tri-State Ambulance to get bleeding control kits into schools and businesses.

The kits contain tools that help nurses, teachers, or other trained individuals slow heavy bleeding while waiting for emergency responders to arrive.

LCFD EMS Coordinator Jim Hillcoat believes the training is crucial for school district staff to know in case students are in need of immediate care.

“This is just a huge step to ensuring more safety, health and wellness, and community resiliency through being prepared,” Hillcoat expressed. “Having the tools and the knowledge to deal with emergencies that deal with bleeding, that deal with hemorrhage, that’s our goal is to have a lot more people running around that are able to act and make a difference.”

Two kits have been provided to La Crosse’s two high schools, but Hillcoat would like to see them become more common in the district.

“Our goal with the school is, they have 24 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) throughout the school buildings, we want to get one of these kits, hopefully more, in each of the boxes with the AEDs,” Hillcoat explained.

The purchase of the kits is being funded through the Health Emergency Readiness Coalition, which is a group of hospitals and health care organizations working to make communities safer, healthier, and more resilient.

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