Stop The Bleed, a national curriculum from the American College of Surgeons, teaches people to stop or slow bleeding, and has been offered at no cost to schools and organizations through the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“The course teaches a few different things, including how to apply pressure and to pack a wound, how to use a tourniquet and what you could use as a tourniquet, and most importantly how to stay safe and act quickly in an emergency situation,” said Matt Nahnsen, Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP), EMS and Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) grant coordinator for the Webster County Health Department.

He teaches the course in Iowa HHS Service Area 7, which includes Buena Vista, Calhoun, Clay, Emmet, Hamilton, Humboldt, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Sac, and Webster counties.

Southeast Valley School District in Gowrie has a majority of its staff in all four district buildings trained in Stop The Bleed. It also has kits in all classrooms and other strategic locations throughout each building.

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Stop The Bleed, a national program that teaches people how to stop or slow bleeding in emergency situations is offered at Manson Northwest Webster School District.

More than 100 staff members at Fort Dodge Community School District have been trained in the program with school nurses and athletic trainers also participating in a train-the-trainer program so the curriculum can be implemented into health classes to train students.

More than 200 staff in the Manson Northwest Webster and Humboldt school districts have also been trained in the program.

Nahnsen will even be teaching the course to the Webster County 4-H Council in February.

“We’re teaching people how to save lives,” said Nahnsen. “Stop The Bleed teaches how to stop bleeding, whether that be from a fall, an auto accident, a shop or farm accident, or any other incident that could cause blood loss. This program will save lives.”

Since July 2024, Nahnsen and Service Area 7 have placed more than 1,000 Stop The Bleed kits in more than 20 school districts. All kits include packing gauze, gloves, trauma shears, a C-A-T tourniquet, permanent marker, and emergency bandages.

The kits and training are available at no cost through the Iowa HHS Public Health Emergency Preparedness and EMS System Development grant.

In addition to the Webster County Health Department providing the Stop The Bleed training, Humboldt and Calhoun County health departments have done training in their areas as well.

“Stop The Bleed teaches life-saving control techniques,” said Nahnsen. “The skills and lessons that it teaches are very important. Let’s say you come up to a car accident and someone’s bleeding, you’ll be able to help get their bleeding under control before EMS gets there. You’re saving a life. Anytime you can save a life is important, and that’s what this program teaches.”