Dignity Health Partners with Chandler Fire Department to Provide Emergency Medical Supplies for Public Buildings in Chandler

CHANDLER, Ariz. (Aug. 7, 2018) – Dignity Health Chandler Regional Medical Center and Chandler Fire Department have joined forces to provide 65 specialized emergency medical kits in approximately 35 City of Chandler buildings.

This initiative between Chandler Regional’s Level 1 Trauma Center and the Chandler Fire Department which began in late 2017 was inspired by the national ‘Stop the Bleed’ campaign, a movement started to bring attention to the highest cause of preventable trauma deaths—bleeding.

“Nearly 20 percent of people who die from traumatic injuries could have lived had they had access to emergency bleeding control,” says Charles Hu, MD, director of trauma services at Chandler Regional.

The bleeding control kits are easily accessible, located inside AED (a)utomated external defibrillator unit boxes at the 35 City of Chandler buildings in case of emergency. Additionally, Chandler Fire and Chandler Regional’s trauma team have now trained more than 300 city employees, and more than 120 high school students on how to treat a bleeding injury using these kits.

“In this day and age, everyone should know how to treat these types of injuries,” says Wendy Otten, trauma program manager at Chandler Regional. “We also have the kits in specific locations of the hospital and, eventually, we would love to see these in schools around the Valley.”

Chandler Regional was one of the first hospitals in the state to work with local government to provide public access and training for these bleeding control kits. The hospital and Chandler Fire Department hope that by providing easy, public access to medical supplies that bystanders can step in after an accident and help prevent excessive bleeding while waiting for first responders to arrive.

Each kit includes basic medical supplies such as tourniquets and dressings that can be used to stop bleeding on the scene. The special kits are meant to be easily accessible and easy to use.

“It can take time for first responders to arrive to a scene. With access to these kits and knowledge of how to stop a bleeding injury, the community can help us save lives,” says Tom Dwiggins, Chandler Fire Chief. “We are proud to partner with Chandler Regional on such an important community initiative like this.”

The trauma team at Chandler Regional will also be working with the Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Department to provide emergency response trainings throughout the Tempe Unified School District, teaching select employees the essentials of bleed-control care and continuous compression-only CPR.

###