When Lives Hang on Unprepared Hands
The average time it takes for a person with either a gunshot or stab wound to bleed out and be deemed dead is 3–5 minutes. Within those crucial 8–10 minutes, the person could have been saved if anyone had access to equipment and training to possibly save their life and prevent them from becoming unresponsive before paramedics arrive. As described by neighborhoodscout.com, as of a metric taken in 2023, Greenville’s violent crime rate stands at 5.53 per 1,000 residents, which is higher than the national median of 4. This means residents have a 1 in 181 chance of becoming a victim of violent crime, compared to 1 in 256 in North Carolina overall.
And quoted directly from a study focused on prehospital hemorrhages taken in 2019, “The availability and quality of prehospital trauma care can have a great impact on survival. Hemorrhages are the leading cause of trauma death prior to arrival at a hospital. It is estimated that 30–40% of trauma mortality is due to hemorrhagic shock, and hemorrhage plays a role in 33–56% of trauma fatalities that occur in the prehospital setting.”
THIS STRESSES THE NEED FOR TRAUMA EQUIPMENT AND TRAINING IN OUR COMMUNITIES
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TREAT (Trauma Readiness for Every Adult & Teen) is a student-led nonprofit organization based in Greenville, North Carolina dedicated to improving community trauma readiness through education, outreach, and increased access to lifesaving resources. We believe that everyday people can make a critical difference during the minutes before emergency responders arrive when they have the knowledge, confidence, and proper equipment to act. By providing educational initiatives, building partnerships with healthcare professionals and community organizations, and expanding access to trauma kits and bleeding-control supplies, TREAT strives to create safer, more prepared communities where more lives can be saved through early intervention. We might be a small organization and young, but we believe we can make a difference!