Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin launching "Stop the Bleed" program

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The mass casualties of the Las Vegas shooting bring to light a reality that the doctors at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin have been trying to get out recently; that learning to stop the bleeding is as vital a skill as CPR.

In fact, they've launched a "Stop the Bleed" program trying to encourage everyday citizens to learn how to affix a tourniquet on a wound.

The Chief of Trauma Surgery demonstrated live on the News at 4 p.m. just how easy it is.

"We're rolling this out on a national level," Dr. Mark De Moya told CBS 58 News. "It was born out of the Newtown School Massacre. What we're doing is bringing this to the community. This is for everybody. Three easy steps to take when somebody is bleeding."

1. Putting pressure on the wound

2. putting clothe or gauze inside the wound itself

3. applying a tourniquet

"My 12 year old can do it in 16 seconds. There are ready made tourniquets to stop the bleeding. It needs to be really tight to stop the artery flow."

Dr. De Moya says don't be fooled by the movies. Belts really don't work because they don't have a windlass for leverage, it won't create enough force to generate enough pressure to stop the bleeding.

Ultimately, the "Stop the Bleed" program hopes to generate the type of support to have a proper tourniquet available in many public locations.

For example, next to the defibrilator kits which have become common place.

"We want to reach 235 million people in the United States. Students learn it in school. So by adult hood everybody knows how to provide this advanced first aid."

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