Montana State University, Bozeman Health team up to place 125 Stop the Bleed kits on campus

BOZEMAN - According to Bozeman Health Trauma Services, severe blood loss is the No. 1 cause of preventable death after an injury and can lead to death in less than five minutes. However, there are steps bystanders can take before emergency medical services arrive, as stopping blood loss quickly can save lives.

Montana State University and Bozeman Health have teamed up to place hemorrhage control kits at 27 locations across the university's campus in Bozeman, part of an effort to make MSU safer and better prepared in the event of an emergency.

The university and health system worked together to purchase kits that empower bystanders to act in bleeding emergencies, and Bozeman Health is offering training to educate MSU students, staff and faculty on basic interventions they can perform using materials available in the kits. The efforts are part of Stop the Bleed, a program of the U.S. Department of Defense that offers the kits and a bleeding control course.

"The Stop the Bleed program gives our community the training and confidence to take decisive action and potentially save a life," said Thomas Luhrsen, MSU director of emergency management.

Funding from the two organizations enabled the purchase of 125 kits to install in locations across the MSU campus. Each kit includes materials that can enable bystanders to control hemorrhaging, including a tourniquet, packing gauze, pressure bandage, chest seal, gloves, trauma shears, a marker and a foil heat blanket.

The 125 kits purchased will be distributed between Bobcat Stadium, the Kennedy-Stark Athletic Center, the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, Shroyer Gym, the Student Wellness Center and the Strand Union Building, Luhrsen said. The first kits were installed earlier this fall in high-use areas at the university, and more kits may be added later to residence halls and other places where large groups of people congregate, he added.

"Our goal is simple: increase survivability," Luhrsen said. "Every bleeding control kit installed, and every person trained through this partnership increases the likelihood that someone experiencing a traumatic injury receives critical care in those first precious minutes."

Bozeman Health is currently providing training opportunities for MSU event staff, University Police officers and Student Wellness staff. Eventually, the goal is to open this training opportunity to student groups, individual students and all persons regularly using MSU facilities, Luhrsen said. Information about the training is available online at www.stopthebleed.org, and questions and requests for training may be emailed to [email protected].

"Through funding from the Bozeman Health Foundation, Bozeman Health Trauma Services is helping advance this initiative to strengthen bleeding control education and preparedness," said Allison Hugus, injury prevention coordinator at Bozeman Health. "These efforts will equip more people with the knowledge and resources to respond to bleeding emergencies, supporting the safety and well-being of the university and our community."

Since 2020, Bozeman Health Trauma Services has partnered with organizations across the Gallatin Valley, including the Bozeman and Belgrade public school districts, fire departments and the Gallatin City-County Health Department, to offer the Stop the Bleed campaign. Since then, more than 1,000 community members have been trained, and more than 300 hemorrhage control kits have been installed.

"Effective public safety is built on strong partnerships, and this collaboration between MSU and Bozeman Health is an outstanding example of proactive preparedness," said Adam Pankratz, deputy chief of the MSU Police Department. "These hemorrhage control kits and the associated training create a safer environment for everyone on campus. Importantly, they equip and empower our community to make an extraordinary difference in the moments before first responders arrive. Together, we are building a community that is prepared to help save lives."