More than 5 million people across the globe have now learned to stop severe bleeding—skills that could mean the difference between life and death in an emergency. The American College of Surgeons' (ACS) Stop the Bleed program has rapidly turned bystanders into lifesavers, and it announced the milestone on Monday in a press release. ACS CEO Patricia Turner sees it as a notable marker in a much longer and more ambitious journey: "Our mission doesn't stop at 5 million. We will continue our efforts until bleeding control training is as ubiquitous as CPR."
An ACS website for the program explains that "the No. 1 cause of preventable death after injury is bleeding." Indeed, a 2023 Dallas Morning News article noted that in 2020, an American died of a traumatic injury roughly every 3.5 minutes. One study found 36% of deaths involve potentially survivable wounds, and that "in most potentially preventable trauma deaths, patients bled out before their injuries could be treated," highlighting the importance of quick access to treatment.
The Stop the Bleed initiative, launched in 2016, teaches participants how to stop life-threatening bleeding via a three-step process: apply direct pressure, pack the wound, and use a tourniquet if needed. Training is now offered in all 50 US states and at least 141 countries, with over 180,000 certified instructors, including medical professionals and first responders, leading the 90-minute courses.
story continues below
The ACS credits the program's growth to community engagement and partnerships, as with America's Blood Centers. Kenji Inaba, chair of the ACS Stop the Bleed Committee, said the impact has been very real: "From Chicago to Ukraine and communities around the world, we've seen how these skills save lives—whether in mass casualty events or everyday accidents." (Interested? Find a course here.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
