American College of Surgeons Supports Federal Legislation to Expand Access to Life-Saving Bleeding Control Kits as STOP THE BLEED® Month Concludes

Newswise — WASHINGTON, DC: The American College of Surgeons (ACS) strongly supports the Prevent Blood Loss with Emergency Equipment Devices (BLEEDing) Act recently reintroduced in the United States Senate.

The bill (S. 1653), sponsored by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) in the U.S. Senate, would authorize a grant program to expand access to life-saving STOP THE BLEED® kits in communities across the country.

“I applaud Senators Menendez and Boozman for introducing this legislation. Uncontrolled bleeding is a leading cause of preventable death from trauma for all ages and victims of severe bleeding can die within minutes. The Prevent BLEEDing Act is crucial to bring STOP THE BLEED® training and equipment directly to all U.S. citizens. Similar to CPR, a civilian familiar with basic bleeding control techniques is equipped to save a life,” said Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, Executive Director and CEO of the ACS. “This critically important legislation will help to educate and empower individuals to take life-saving action during an emergency when minutes matter.” 

The Prevent BLEEDing Act, reintroduced after initially being proposed in May 2022, creates a grant program under the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide anti-blood loss supplies for use in a medical emergency and implement training on bleeding control techniques.

In a news release announcing the bill’s introduction, Sen. Menendez said, “Think about the lives that can be saved in the wake of a terrible car crash, a bad accident on the job or at the skating rink, or God forbid, a mall or school shooting, if people in every community had the know-how and quick access to the resources they need to stop severe bleeding during medical emergencies before first responders arrive on the scene. Our common-sense legislation will provide communities in New Jersey and across the nation with the training, funding, and access to tools needed to save lives.”

Sen. Boozman noted in a news release from his office: “We can help save lives by expanding access to tools and resources to prevent traumatic blood loss. This is a practical strategy to empower individuals to administer life-saving aid in an emergency.”

In a letter supporting the legislation, the ACS recommends that the grant program ensures that eligible entities are procuring only high-quality tourniquets and other bleeding control supplies, such as products approved by the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) and the Department of Defense (DoD) Combat Casualty Research Program, to prevent a scenario where a poorly made device might fail and not adequately stop severe bleeding.

STOP THE BLEED^® was launched in October 2015 by the White House, with a call to action to make our nation more resilient and to begin training more people to become immediate responders during a bleeding emergency until professional help arrives. The ACS STOP THE BLEED^® program is operated under a licensing agreement granted by the Department of Defense.

STOP THE BLEED^® training empowers participants to control bleeding in three ways: apply direct pressure, pack the wound, and apply a tourniquet. Anyone can learn to STOP THE BLEED^® by taking an in-person course or the online interactive course, which gives participants the knowledge they need to complete the lecture portion of STOP THE BLEED^® training.

Each May during National STOP THE BLEED® Month, the ACS promotes numerous activities to raise awareness of this lifesaving training. More information about these activities and courses available to the public can be found on the STOP THE BLEED^® website.

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About the American College of Surgeons

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for all surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 87,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. "FACS" designates that a surgeon is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.