High school students participate in Trauma Day at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital

Nearly 200 students from across the Chicagoland area took part in the 19th annual Trauma Day at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital on May 4. The annual event, hosted by the hospital's Level I Trauma Center staff and other health care professionals at the hospital in Park Ridge, helps raise awareness among students about the repercussions of serious injuries as part of Trauma Awareness Month in May.

Students from Maine East High School and Resurrection High School participated in 'hands-on' activities designed to encourage students to drive safely by avoiding driving impaired and highlights the negative consequences of driving distracted. The activities were also meant to give them a better understanding of the trauma patient's journey from the Flight for Life helicopter, to the Emergency Department, to the operating room and intensive care unit. Whether the students were assisting in intubating a mannequin, getting dressed while trying to balance on a ball to simulate recovery after a brain injury or experiencing a field sobriety test, all the activities encouraged them to think before they act. New this year to the annual program was a Stop the Bleed station where students learned lifesaving techniques to aid someone who is bleeding before help arrives.

"The number one cause of death from age one to 45 is accidental injury and many of those deaths are from uncontrolled bleeding," said Dr. Amy Stewart, a trauma surgeon at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. "It's of vital importance for students, teachers and the community to learn how to stop life-threatening bleeding just as we all know CPR to save someone who is in cardiac arrest. Stop the Bleed, teaches these basic skills to save someone's life if they are bleeding. I'm thrilled that we are able to add this hands-on station to Trauma Day."

The students also had the opportunity to meet three young trauma survivors. All were treated at Lutheran after sustaining traumatic brain injuries and other bodily injuries from their traumatic accidents.

"We work hard to ensure that the students involved in Trauma Day are engaged in activities that will get their attention," said Kathy Tanouye, R.N., Trauma Services Manager at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. "Our team's job at this annual event is getting students to think twice before making decisions that could change their lives forever and to help prevent serious injuries before they occur. When teens see the long-term impact of a traumatic injury, it changes their perception of somewhat small but life changing choices they might make in the future."

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital's Level I Trauma Center is responsible for coordinating trauma care across the EMS Region 9, comprised of Cook, McHenry and Kane counties, as well as portions of Lake and Kendall counties. Lutheran General hospital sees over 1,000 seriously injured patients each year, and many of these injuries are the result of motor vehicle accidents.