Senior project ‘Stops the Bleed’

Custer High School senior Shelby Gramkow recently helped train staff members at Custer High School, Custer Elementary School, Custer YMCA Preschool, Hermosa School and Elk Mountain School in “Stop the Bleed,” a nationwide campaign that works with bystanders to become trained, equipped and impowered on how to stop an emergency bleed before professional help arrives. The training sessions were Gramkow’s senior project.

Gramkow said the goal of this program is to ensure people have the proper training and tools to save a life, with the goal of getting the training completed in every state. South Carolina is the only state to be fully trained with this program, and South Dakota is working on being the second. 

South Dakota has decided to start with training all the schools in the state and then branching off into the communities, Gramkow said.

“I heard about this from Barb Irwin, who works at the Custer Regional Hospital as an ER nurse,” Gramkow said. “She said  they have been working with local schools to get this program initiated, but have been struggling to do so. Some schools in our surrounding areas have said no to including this program in their district because of lack of interest or from having no time to include the program. I decided this was something that needed to be done within the school districts because of how quick the training is and the impact it could have on many lives.” 

The training is an hour long with a slide show presentation. Those being trained then work hands-on with how to apply a tourniquet and how to pack a wound.

Every school that has been trained receives a Stop the Bleed Kit. The kit has five bags inside with the basic tools needed for stopping a bleed. The “Stop the Bleed” program in South Dakota requested money from the Regional Health Foundation and the Indian Motorcycle Foundation to pay for the kits.

Gramkow said she plans to pursue a career in nursing and felt this program was a great way for her to get involved in the medical profession.

“‘Stop the Bleed’ is not just a program for schools; it is a program that is needed everywhere,” Gramkow said. “Traumatic events can happen anywhere, anytime and this program can help save a life.”