[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 200 (Thursday, December 7, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H9715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STOP THE BLEED
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Kansas (Mr. Marshall) for 5 minutes.
Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, when I say the term ``CPR,'' everybody in
the room knows what I am talking about; but when I mention ``Stop the
Bleed,'' few of us know what it is.
This past summer, I had the opportunity to take part in a Stop the
Bleed training program offered for my good friends and fellow
physicians at the American College of Surgeons. This simple training
teaches individuals how to treat bleeding injuries and help save a
life.
Every year, almost 200,000 Americans die from traumatic injuries
sustained as a result of events, including vehicle crashes, falls,
industrial and farm accidents, shootings, and natural disasters. The
most common preventable cause of these deaths is losing too much blood
in the minutes before trained responders can arrive. This is something
we need to change.
The ability to recognize life-threatening bleeding and the ability to
intervene effectively can save a life. Whether the injury was the
result of a car crash, home accident, or farm accident, one person who
is there at the right time and has the right skills can make all the
difference.
Just like CPR training, a civilian familiar with basic bleeding
control techniques is better equipped to save a life. The effort to
make this training available to the public is driven by the goal to
reduce or eliminate preventable death from bleeding.
The American College of Surgeons, working in partnership with many
other organizations, has now made the training needed to address such
incidents available to the public. Through nationwide advocacy efforts,
the American College of Surgeons will work to ensure that all people
have access to training opportunities.
I would implore and encourage folks like the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts,
American Red Cross, and other organizations that teach CPR to add this
very simple course on Stop the Bleed to that training course program.
It is a very simple concept of putting pressure where the bleeding is
occurring or how to make a quick tourniquet out of a belt or a piece of
clothing.
Today, I also take this opportunity to encourage fellow congressional
Members of Congress to get trained in Stop the Bleed.
____________________