Empowered to Act

An Empowered Community Helps Neighbors

In the aftermath of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary mass shooting, physicians around the country recognized an opportunity that could have potentially saved lives amid the tragedy — training non-medical members of the community to help someone who is bleeding profusely.

This realization sparked an idea that turned into “Stop the Bleed,” a national program created by the American College of Surgeons. This program empowers ordinary citizens with no medical background by teaching them how to administer support during a bleeding emergency until emergency medical services (EMS) can arrive.

Le Bonheur’s Trauma team is led by Pediatric Surgeon Regan Williams, MD, and includes Anissa Cooper, MSN, RN, Trauma program director; Cheyenne Plesofsky, MPH, community violence advocacy fellow; and John Wright, EMS outreach coordinator.
This team brings Stop the Bleed to Memphis residents and teaches the community how to help anyone with severe bleeding — from gunshot and knife wounds to ATV or automobile accidents.

Medical Director of Trauma Services Regan Williams, MD, leads Stop the Bleed training. This program trains members of the community on how to help in a bleeding emergency.  

“We really do need to empower public citizens to provide help when bleeding occurs,” said Williams. “It will help save lives and at least gives the patient more time to get to the hospital.”

Feedback from those who have gone through the training has been positive and encouraging. According to Plesofsky, a woman trained through Le Bonheur’s Stop the Bleed program was able to save a life using the tools she learned. Completing training with these professionals allows someone with no medical background to act with confidence when facing a high-stress situation with heavy blood loss.

“For any type of injury with profuse bleeding, this training was put together to teach laypeople life-changing techniques,” says Cooper. 

When training is properly applied, it can decrease the risk of serious blood loss, meaning the patient often arrives at the hospital with the possibility of a better outcome.

“Stop the Bleed is a great tool for people to feel empowered to do something,” said Plesofsky. “That sense of empowerment grows within a community, and the positivity is contagious. When people feel confident in their training, they are eager to jump into action to help a neighbor.”

Trauma Team's Vast Outreach

In 2023, Le Bonheur’s Trauma team led 269 participants through Stop the Bleed training.

To reach as many people as possible, the trauma team also partners with community organizations that address at-risk youth in areas of high violence through the Shelby County Ceasefire Program. This program was created by the U.S. Attorney General’s Office in collaboration with county and state-level law enforcement as an alternative to juvenile detention. The program gives youth with first-time gun charges an opportunity to attend classes with instructors from groups like the Le Bonheur Trauma Team in hopes of creating a deeper understanding of the long-term negative impacts of guns and violence.

The trauma team also trains staff members of the BLOC Squad, an intervention program providing mentoring to at-risk youth. Members of the BLOC Squad are embedded within neighborhoods with the goal of interrupting the cycle of violence.

Staff from the trauma team offer training at high schools, health fairs, apartment buildings and community events to greater spread their message of making good choices and helping those in need.

Response to Trauma

According to the Tennessee Department of Health, firearm deaths are the leading external cause of death among Tennessee children. Although the physical trauma is top of mind in these situations, Le Bonheur is also supporting children’s mental health.

To better serve children who are victims of violence, Le Bonheur developed SHIFT: Supporting and Healing Individuals From Trauma. This program supports patients and families impacted by violence with a wide range of services.

“SHIFT provides wraparound services not just to the injured child, but to the entire family,” said Lydia Walker, LMSW, SHIFT program manager. “Every child is a part of an ecosystem of a broader family, community and social factors that impact their health, so we want to address as many of those layers as we can.”

When a child endures physical, violent trauma, the SHIFT team meets with the patient and family to offer services tailored to their specific needs; and if support is accepted, mental health counseling is prioritized.

As of September 2024, 199 families have enrolled in SHIFT since its inception in 2022. Along with counseling, families are provided with any type of care that may prove beneficial throughout that child’s journey to healing. SHIFT staff have provided transportation, coordinated homebound educational services, collaborated with schools when children are ready to return to the classroom and so much more.

“Our goal is to help children recover both physically and emotionally,” said Trauma Director Williams. “By prioritizing mental health counseling, we are equipping children and families with the tools they need to thrive when they leave the hospital.”