Stop the Bleed in Pottawattamie with Kristi Kennedy!

​Have you heard of the Stop the Bleed Campaign?  Well, thanks to Kristi Kennedy, all of the Underwood Optimists and the Underwood Schools faculty have been trained to do exactly that!
 
What is Stop the Bleed?  It’s a grassroots effort to train regular people who might be witnesses/bystanders to an accident how to manage a situation until professionals can get there. 

Why is the Stop the Bleed Campaign important?  Kristi’s explanation:  “The purpose of the Stop the Bleed campaign is to make our nation more resilient by better preparing the public to save lives if people nearby are severely bleeding. This preparation is being done by raising awareness and teaching people how to learn three quick actions to control serious bleeding.” 

Kristi works as a data analyst at the Children’s Hospital and Medical Center Trauma Department and has for 15 years.  It was there that she learned about the Stop the Bleed Campaign and realized that it could save lives.  Her work in the trauma department inspired her to bring it back to her hometown and share it with the Underwood Optimists because she said, “I introduced this to our Optimist Group {because I know that} everyone in this group cares about the families in the community, and that a bleeding injury can happen anywhere, but the nearest Level 1 or Level 2 Trauma Center is 30 minutes by ground.  We have a fantastic group of first responders here in Underwood that would respond as quickly as they can, but if everyone knows how to control a bleeding injury before professional help arrives, a life and or limb can be saved.” 

We’ve all been in a situation where time was a factor.  I, especially, took her words to heart because my dad actually saved his leg because he made his own tourniquet and wrap after an accident a few years ago that kept him okay to get to the hospital.  What may seem like common sense to the older generations is not something that has been taught to the younger ones so this campaign brings awareness.  In fact, Kristi advocates for teenagers and, in the right cases, younger children, learning basic first aid. 

Ms. Kennedy has been instrumental in helping make Underwood the first school in Southwest Iowa to have a trained staff and also kits in all three schools as well as tourniquets in almost every classroom and bus. 

When asked why people in Pottawattamie County need to know about this campaign, she told me that EVERYBODY needs to know how to do this.  Nobody wants to see something traumatic happen to a child or adult they know if it can be prevented.

Thanks, Kristi, for being a leader in the cause for Pottawattamie County!  Once again, you’re proving one person can make a difference!

Interested in taking the Stop the Bleed class?  There is a free class available at Impact Hill in Oakland on April 23rd from 6 to 7pm.
​
Interested in the Underwood Optimists?  Well, they would be happy to see you!  The Underwood Optimists are very active in the community with their main focus being youth. They sponsor the T-ball through 8th grade softball program, a middle school boys basketball tournament, scholarships for seniors, oratorical and essay contests, the Underwood Easter Egg Hunt, the Cancer Walk, Kite & Bikes Day (which is coming up on April 18th), an Adopt a Family program at Christmas, and they are a post-prom sponsor.


Sponsored by Western Ventures, Inc.