Page 23 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2019- Online Magazine
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students how to set up emergency “Stop the Bleed” (STB) is a injuries, motor vehicle traffic
medical grids in natural disaster national awareness campaign to and firearm injuries.
scenarios. address the most common cause
of preventable trauma death in • Highest case injuries occur in
She has served our country the country – bleeding out. STB ages 25-64.
in various military capacities. is nationally accredited by the
She was a Major General in the American College of Surgeons • Highest deaths occur in males
Arizona Air National Guard, and run in part by the Department with the highest death rates in
retiring in 2008 after twenty- of Homeland Security (DHS). ages 55-64.
plus years of military service. According to the DHS website, • The highest death rates in
Dr. Sobel is a highly-trained and the STB initiative is intended to females occur in ages 84 and
experienced flight surgeon who “cultivate grassroots efforts that over.
has served in combat in Operation encourage bystanders to become
Just Cause. She was responsible trained, equipped, and empowered
for all pre-hospital medical care to help in a bleeding emergency
and training for aeromedical before professional help arrives.” Locally, in 2010, there were 41
evacuation personnel, including If citizens are educated in how to fatal crashes in Lubbock, resulting
regional trauma transport, and for properly use a tourniquet, lives in the deaths of 42 victims, as
deploying MEDRETE (medical will be saved as bystanders can well as 111 other serious crashes,
readiness training) humanitarian effectively stop traumatic bleeding. resulting in 131 serious injuries.
missions in Central and South The American College of Surgeons Applying the national estimate
America and the Caribbean for the (ACS) through its research, of 20% of people who have died
57th MEDEVAC Detachment. Dr. indicates 20% of people who have from traumatic injuries but could
Sobel has also served in several died from traumatic injuries could have survived with quick bleeding
other roles for her country, such have survived with quick bleeding control to the estimated Lubbock
as the first Director of Intelligence control. That is a significant area traffic fatalities results in 8.4
for the National Guard Bureau, number and opportunity to save people who could have been saved
immediately post-9/11 and during lives. in 2010 alone. That figure applies
the Hurricane Katrina/Rita only to traffic-related injuries - not
response efforts. Furthermore, many Americans all forms of traumatic injuries with
every year suffer from trauma- bleeds that could have been saved.
In addition to serving her country, related injuries, and it is a common The number of lives that could
Dr. Sobel is a firm believer in occurrence for doctors and medical potentially be saved is significant.
serving her community. While emergency staff to receive these
educating medical students, as patients in the emergency room. Covenant Health, another local
well as Lubbock high school The ACS’s 2016 annual report and provider, also supports “Stop the
and middle school students, she data bank issued the following Bleed” education. According to
has also served on the National statistics: research from the ASC posted
Board of Directors of the Girl on Covenant’s website earlier
Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), the in the year, it takes only 5 to 10
board of the South Plains Council minutes for a gunshot victim to
of Boy Scouts of America, and • Almost half of patients suffer bleed to death. The ASC has been
of Women’s Protective Service, minor injuries, and just under a leader in promoting nationwide
and was President of West Texas one-third have moderate programs to train teachers in
Komen Foundation, Lubbock. injuries. simple but effective means of
Furthermore, Dr. Sobel is leading • The overall mortality rate is halting blood loss.
the Lubbock community toward 4.39%.
knowledge of the national I interviewed Dr. Craig Rhyne,
program “Stop the Bleed”. • The largest number of deaths Covenant’s regional Chief Medical
is caused by fall-related Officer, about his views on the
Lubbock Senior Link 23
