A regional Healthcare Coalition recently presented the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office with 45 Stop the Bleed kits.
Luke Anderson, emergency preparedness manager for Northeast Georgia Health System and regional coordinating hospital Region B Healthcare Coalition coordinator, presented the kits to the department on behalf of both organizations.
“It’s a partnership that we want to establish within our 10-county region to make sure that patients have the best opportunity getting treatment, stopping the bleed early on to allow our amazing first responders, law enforcement, fire/EMS to be able to stabilize a patient and get them quickly to our hospital facilities that ultimately will improve their patient outcome,” Anderson said.
The kits include basic supplies needed if an officer or other first responder encounters a patient who is rapidly losing blood. Materials include gloves, scissors, supplies to pack the wound and a tourniquet.
Habersham County Sheriff Robin Krockum expressed his gratitude to receive the donation.
“We appreciate the partnership and are very grateful for their donation to our deputies in the field,” Krockum said. “Having these kits gives us the ability to stabilize a patient until they can be treated further by medical personnel.”
A release from HCSO said the coalition previously focused on providing the kits to School Resource Officers in 2024. This year, the group provided one kit for each sheriff’s office vehicle to ensure full coverage should a deputy arrive first at a scene involving mass blood loss. The donation was provided in partnership with NGHS.
“The overall goal is to ensure that we can get these patients so that they have a more favorable outcome by stopping the bleed as early as possible,” Anderson said. “So, to be able to get these in our responders’ hands – those that may be in a situation prior to EMS coming – it’s a win/win not only for our communities but also the patients that we serve.”
Region B is one of 14 regional healthcare coalitions in Georgia.
