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St. Luke’s Launches ‘Stop the Bleed’ Program after State Trooper Saves Own Life with Tourniquet (Sponsored)

Inspired by Pennsylvania State Trooper Cpl. Seth Kelly’s life-saving example, St. Luke’s University Health Network will provide its inaugural  Stop the Bleed training on Tuesday, March 6 for the Northampton County Sheriff’s Department.

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Cpl. Seth Kelly (left center) presents a $5,000 check to St. Luke’s Trauma surgeon Dr. Peter Thomas (right center) to support St. Luke’s Stop the Bleed program. From left to right: Rebecca Wilde-Onia, Trauma Program Manager; Kelly Donatelli, Trauma Performance Improvement Coordinator; Philomena Kelly; Cpl. Seth Kelly; Dr. Peter Thomas, Director of Trauma; Andrea Nesfeder, Trauma Outreach Coordinator; Nicole Lohrman, Trauma PI & Education Coordinator.

Inspired by Pennsylvania State Trooper Cpl. Seth Kelly’s life-saving example, St. Luke’s University Health Network will provide its inaugural  Stop the Bleed training on Tuesday, March 6 for the Northampton County Sheriff’s Department.

Part of a nationwide campaign launched by the White House, Stop the Bleed trains people how to help during a severe bleeding incident before medical and emergency professionals arrive on-scene. The program teaches techniques that include dressing the wound and the use of a tourniquet–as Cpl. Kelly did to help save his own life after being shot during a roadside stop.

Severe bleeding is a common cause of death during emergency situations and traumatic accidents such as mass shootings, car accidents and home or industrial accidents, with nearly 35 percent of fatalities occurring before victims even arrive at the hospital, according to the National Trauma Institute.

Cpl. Kelly was shot Nov. 7 after a routine traffic stop on Route 33 in Plainfield Township, Northampton County. A bullet pierced an artery in his leg.

Dr. Peter Thomas, one of the trauma surgeons who treated Kelly at St. Luke’s University Hospital-Bethlehem, credited Cpl. Kelly’s quick thinking for helping to save his own life–because he applied a tourniquet to his leg.

“No one should die from uncontrolled bleeding,” Dr. Thomas said. “Teaching ‘first care providers’ how to apply tourniquets can help save more lives and significantly reduce deaths that can occur in the time it takes for patients to be transported to the nearest trauma center.”

Following three surgeries, Cpl. Kelly spent 23 days recovering at St. Luke’s University Hospital in Bethlehem. He and his wife, Philomena, recently donated $5,000 to help support St. Luke’s Stop the Bleed program.

St. Luke’s Stop the Bleed initiative aims to provide free trauma and bleeding prevention education to first responders, including police departments, schools and community organizations such as PTAs, Boy/Girl scouts, civic groups and other non-profit organizations. In addition, St. Luke’s is proud to partner with the communities it serves in this effort to provide Stop the Bleed control kits designed for use in the event of a bleeding emergency. Equipped with tourniquets and bleeding control dressings, the St. Luke’s Stop the Bleed control kits will serve as an important companion to standard first aid kits and AEDs and contain all of the necessary supplies and resources needed to respond to and treat bleeding emergencies that may result from traumatic injuries.

Note: This story was contributed by St. Luke’s University Health Network. Its publication is part of a health news partnership between Saucon Source and SLUHN.

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About the author

Josh Popichak

Josh Popichak is the owner, publisher and editor of Saucon Source. A Lehigh Valley native, he's covered local news since 2005 and previously worked for Berks-Mont News and AOL/Patch. Contact him at josh@sauconsource.com.

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