CEDARVILLE — Cedarville University’s School of Pharmacy will host the Premier Health/Miami Valley Hospital “Stop the Bleed” program Wednesday, May 24.

The program, which is a nationwide campaign to empower individuals to act quickly and save lives, is 9-11 am in the the School of Pharmacy.

​A person who’s bleeding can die within five minutes, so it’s critical to quickly stop the blood loss. Stop the Bleed focuses on teaching bystanders how to control and stop bleeding and use lifesaving interventions in mass casualty events. No matter how rapid the arrival of professional emergency responders, bystanders will always be first on the scene.

“The citizen component becomes incredibly important in the event of an emergency,” said Andrew Brewer, firefighter at the Beavercreek Township Fire Department, adjunct instructor for the university’s emergency medical services and Cedarville alum. “There are so many things that can change your life in just a minute, so the program will help bridge the 10-20 minute gap between initial incident occurrence and trained first responder arrival in active threat situations.”

The program is geared toward active shooter/threatening emergencies, but can also be applied to natural disasters. It’s federally backed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

Premier Health will certify faculty in bleeding control measures and also train them as instructors who can integrate Stop the Bleed content in their curriculum.

“The need and desire is there to help train our community to save lives, and we think Cedarville is our primary place to start,” said Mary Lou Kyne, EMS program manager for Premier Health. “With every mission trip and outreach opportunity a student takes part in, we could be impacting so many individuals across the world.”

The program also seeks to place Stop the Bleed kits in locations suited for large gatherings, much like automated external defibrillators meant for use during cardiac events. Stop the Bleed kits include bandages, gloves, gauze and tourniquets for the average bystander to use.

Brewer and Kyne also look forward to training other departments on campus, such as athletic training, nursing, campus safety and the university’s EMS.

“The program is relatively inexpensive and a small time commitment for something that will undoubtedly save lives,” Brewer said.

For more information on Stop the Bleed, visit www.dhs.gov/stopthebleed.