L-R: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School students (Estevan and Joseph), and RCE county agents Michelle Infante-Casella, Bill Bamka, and Kate Brown.
Two “Stop the Bleed” training sessions for the New Jersey agricultural community were recently conducted by the Rutgers Farm Health and Safety Working Group. The sessions included a presentation on the ABCs of bleeding control and hands-on practice with pressure application, wound packing and use of a tourniquet. This training is timely as blood loss is the leading cause of preventable death where a medical response is delayed.
RCE agricultural agent William Bamka, at right, practices applying a tourniquet to Burlington County farmer, Matt Stiles. Photo credit: Danielle Wainwright.
“Unfortunately farming can be an inheritably dangerous occupation, especially due to the use of large farm equipment. Some recent accidents in New Jersey have proven this statement to be true,” Michelle Infante-Casella, agricultural agent, RCE of Gloucester County, and a member of the Rutgers Farm Health and Safety Working Group.
“Being adequately prepared can save lives and our program provided kits for attendees as well as proper training for stopping bleeding. It’s the old adage, ‘it is better to be safe than sorry’,” added William Bamka, agricultural agent, RCE of Burlington County.
In addition to Infante-Casella and Bamka, the working group is comprised of Kate Brown, agricultural agent, RCE of Somerset County, and chair of the working group, and Stephen Komar, agricultural agent, RCE of Sussex County.
Dave DeFrange, Hunterdon County Farmer and State Board of Agriculture member, practices using a tourniquet on a mannequin. Photo credit: Kate Brown.
The training on March 19 was held in Hunterdon County with trauma staff from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as trainers. On April 8, the training was held in Burlington County and taught by students from the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Bleeding Control group.
A total of 38 farmers and service providers received a certificate of course completion and complimentary bleeding control kits, which were provided with funding from the Vegetable Growers Association of New Jersey and the Office of the Director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE).
Launched in October 2015 by the federal government, STOP THE BLEED® is a national awareness campaign that empowers people to become trained and equipped to help in a bleeding emergency before medical assistance arrives.
Red more about Rutgers trauma physicians’ involvement in training the public to stop blood loss – and save lives – during emergencies.
