The Kahlert Foundation Supports Lifesaving ‘STOP THE BLEED’

Just a few short minutes are all it takes for a person with traumatic injuries to bleed to death. In these situations, first aid training can make all the difference.

Through the national Stop the Bleed campaign, the renowned R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center is encouraging first aid training among the public, aiming to equip more people to act in an emergency. This groundbreaking effort is possible thanks to a philanthropic investment from the Kahlert Foundation.

“Shock Trauma is an amazing institution that has saved the lives of countless people,” says Greg Kahlert, president of the Kahlert Foundation. “Investing in Stop the Bleed was an easy decision. To have experts from Shock Trauma train others in lifesaving bleeding control techniques will only benefit our communities and help make us safer.”

With a priority on health care, the Kahlert Foundation has also supported Shock Trauma’s Critical Care Resuscitation Unit. The foundation’s continued generosity enables the Shock Trauma team to develop innovative programs and expand state-of-the-art research, all of which benefit patients.

“Philanthropy plays an indispensable role in all of our pursuits, providing us with the resources to turn ideas into reality,” says Thomas M. Scalea, MD, FACS, MCCM, physician-in-chief, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center; system chief for Critical Care Services, University of Maryland Medical System; the Honorable Francis X. Kelly Distinguished Professor of Trauma Surgery; director, Program in Trauma, University of Maryland School of Medicine. “We are sincerely grateful to the Kahlert Foundation for their longstanding support.”

Conducted in partnership with the American College of Surgeons, the Hartford Consensus (a committee comprised of representatives from the medical community and federal government), and the Maryland Committee on Trauma, Stop the Bleed includes twice-monthly trainings, instructing participants in simple maneuvers — such as applying a tourniquet — that can save a life.

“Our goal is to provide people with the knowledge and skills to be able to stop the bleeding,” explains Dr. Scalea. “It is important to be trained correctly so that it can be effective. And while we hope people never have to use it, we want everyone to be empowered to act.”

To make a gift in support of the Shock Trauma Center, please click here.