AMSSM President Invited to White House for “Stop the Bleed” Roundtable

LEAWOOD, Kan. - AMSSM President Jon Divine, MD, MS participated in the Bystander “Stop the Bleed” National Forum held at the White House in Washington, D.C., on October 6, 2015. The meeting was hosted by the White House National Security Council.

The meeting was a follow up to the Feb. 10 Bystanders Physician Roundtable that former AMSSM President Francis O’Connor, MD, MPH and Dr. Divine participated in, representing AMSSM.

With the understanding that national preparedness is the shared responsibility of all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors and individual citizens, the “Stop the Bleed” initiative seeks to build national resilience by empowering the general public to take action to stop life threatening bleeding.

“This initiative has the potential to better educate and equip first responders to save lives,” said Dr. Divine. “With our training and access to parents, coaches and the public, AMSSM and our members can play an important role in working with governmental, medical and inter-association partners on this effort."

Highlighted during the event were efforts in support of the “Stop the Bleed” objectives:

• The general public will know the phrase and associated logo: “Stop the Bleed”
• The general public will be able to have access to lifesaving bleeding control kits at home and in public places
• Every bleeding control kit will provide “just in time” audio and visual training.

The event celebrated actions by federal and private sector partners to create meaningful and lasting impact in support of bystanders as immediate responders in stopping life threatening bleeding. The goal of this initiative is to build national resilience by empowering the general public to be aware of the simple steps that can be taken to stop or slow life threatening bleeding.

Dr. Divine is a Professor at the UC College of Medicine and Head Team Physician for University of Cincinnati Athletics, a position he has held since 2010. Currently he is the Director of Primary Care Sports Medicine with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

For more information on these efforts and how you can get involved in the “Stop the Bleed” campaign, please visit dhs.gov/stopthebleed.

About the AMSSM: AMSSM is a multi-disciplinary organization of 2,800+ sports medicine physicians dedicated to education, research, advocacy and the care of athletes of all ages. The majority of AMSSM members are primary care physicians with fellowship training and added qualification in sports medicine who then combine their practice of sports medicine with their primary specialty. AMSSM includes members who specialize solely in non-surgical sports medicine and serve as team physicians at the youth level, NCAA, NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, MLS and NHL, as well as with Olympic teams. By nature of their training and experience, sports medicine physicians are ideally suited to provide comprehensive medical care for athletes, sports teams or active individuals who are simply looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle. www.amssm.org

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