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Medical Professionals Stress Importance Of Tourniquet Training After Gilroy Garlic Festival Shooting

MODESTO (CBS13) — Some of the victims were shot during the Gilroy Garlic Festival Shooting used makeshift tourniquets to stop themselves from bleeding out during the chaos.

Doctor Jodi Coates at Mercy San Juan Medical Center told CBS13 that having the knowledge of this skill can help save lives.

"It really is that first intervention to help control hemorrhage which is the number one preventable cause of death in trauma," Coates said.

She and others at the center have been offering their knowledge when it comes to applying tourniquets. They offer their assistance at Stop The Bleed tourniquet training courses which have grown in popularity in the last few years.

How To Use A Tourniquet

The Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting is bringing the importance of tourniquet training back to the forefront. CBS13's Ryan Hill got a lesson today from an RN at Mercy San Juan today. Check it out: https://cbsloc.al/2YwLnuq

Posted by CBS13 CBS Sacramento on Tuesday, July 30, 2019

"There's several fairly simple, consistent steps that can be used to control hemorrhage from a patient that bleeding from a variety of circumstances," Coates said.

Jennifer Rubin says she's taken a variety of first aid classes. She told CBS13 she took this course as another way to help those in need.

"It makes you feel confident that you can do something to help before the first responders arrive," Rubin said.

Coates says hearing that people knew how to stop the bleeding could start a movement.

"I think that helps with empowering the community to help others members of the community: their family members, their friends, even strangers," Coates said.

Rubin says it's a sense of encouragement people need regardless of the situation.

"It's important to know that you can do something to help in an emergency no matter who you are even if you aren't medically trained," Rubin said.

Stop The Bleed allows you to find out future dates, times and locations of tourniquet training courses. You can find one that's coming to your area here, https://cms.bleedingcontrol.org/Class/Search

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