BY MATT MACKINDER
Clarkston News Editor

The increased safety precautions at Clarkston Community Schools keep increasing, and in the most recent case, knowledge certainly is power.
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland trauma experts have teamed up with CCS to educate and train school district employees on how to apply first aid and control bleeding following a severe injury incident.
Nearly one dozen “Stop the Bleed” training sessions are scheduled throughout the district during the 2021-22 school year, with the first one taking place last week.
“Clarkston Community Schools is making every effort to ensure our staff and students are safe and prepared,” said CCS Superintendent Dr. Shawn Ryan. “The Stop the Bleed training sessions are in addition to recent professional development on trauma-informed practices and ALICE training. While the substance of these efforts is heavy, facing the uncomfortable is necessary to give us the level of preparedness and confidence that will ensure we provide a safe learning environment for all of our students.”
The goal of the initiative is to train nearly 1,100 employees from seven elementary schools, Sashabaw Middle School, Clarkston Junior High School, Clarkston High School, Renaissance High School, and the Early Childhood Center, as well as employees from the CCS Transportation, and Operations and Maintenance departments.
“The unfortunate reality is that schools across the country are having to prepare for the unthinkable, and we want to make sure our schools here in Oakland County know how to respond should such a situation occur,” said Anita Barksdale, an injury prevention education coordinator within St. Joseph Mercy Oakland’s Trauma Department.  “It’s a difficult and emotional subject to discuss but by addressing the issue head-on and training school employees on how to respond, we are empowering them to save lives. As an Oakland County resident myself, I am so appreciative to the Clarkston school district for being responsible and taking the necessary steps to protect their students and staff.”
The St. Joe’s Oakland program is supported by the Michigan Trauma Coalition and is part of a national initiative led by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. The training series being offered in Clarkston provides step-by-step training on how to recognize and intervene to stop life-threatening bleeding following a traumatic event, in the critical minutes before medical help arrives. The courses are roughly an hour long, which includes a formal presentation and hands-on training on how to apply direct pressure, pack a wound and use a tourniquet to stop bleeding.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, someone who is bleeding severely can die from blood loss within five minutes, before first responders even arrive at the scene.

PHOTO: CCS employees Nancy Mahoney, Laura Mahler, Tina Wolverton, and Yasmine Stahlman practice how to pack a wound and hold pressure. Photo provided