Kansas City kids learn to ‘Stop the Bleed’ as school year starts
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A mix of emotions can be felt nationwide as most students return to school this week.
For some, there’s fear about what the school year could bring. The reality is unfortunate.
At least 95% of public schools practice active shooter drills in the U.S. The mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut has been one of the deadliest on record. In 2012, a shooter killed 26 people, 20 of them children. The rampage sparked a nationwide conversation.
“‘Stop the Bleed’ is a program that was started as a result of the mass school shooting of Sandy Hook,” Dr. Mark Lieser with Research Medical Center said.
The initiative teaches people of all ages how to treat life-threatening wounds while they wait for first responders. Dr. Lieser is one of many healthcare professionals bringing awareness to Kansas City.
“If you look at the gun violence in Kansas City it continues to rise unfortunately.” Dr. Lieser went on, “We do our best to do injury prevention measures, but the facts are what they are, and we have to take measures to help people save lives and help bystanders take action to save lives, as well.”
Children as young as six years old take part in the training.
“Whenever someone is bleeding, you need to go over to them with any cloth to stop the bleeding as fast as you can,” Hudson Grover, 9 years old, said as he reflected on what he learned. “Anything that can stop the blood flow from that area.”
Dr. Lieser admitted it is sad to see young children being trained to save a life. But he also said it has become increasingly necessary.
“All we can do is try to save lives. That is what our goal is here. It is just an unfortunate necessity in our current environment,” Lieser said.
But according to the state of Missouri, it is not a requirement.
The state does not mandate bleeding control training or kits in schools or public buildings, despite Governor Mike Parson signing House Bill 14 in 2023 which provides grants to establish school safety programs. Funding is required, but there is no obligation to do the training.
Dr. Lieser said he hopes that will change in the future as he aims to bring trauma kits into schools and public buildings.
“It’s that the average bystander can grab a tourniquet and the equipment and stop the bleeding,” he said. “We are [also] working with the city of Kansas City and training government employees. We think this training should be everywhere.”
You can find courses in the Kansas City area here.
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