Hospital to equip every public school classroom, bus with wound kit through ‘Stop the Bleed’ program

Beth Christian Broschart
April 16, 2019

BUCKHANNON – Upshur County Board of Education members learned about a program aimed at saving lives in the event of an emergency during their meeting Tuesday at Buckhannon Academy Elementary School.

Linda Smith, a registered nurse and program manager of WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital Trauma program, said the Stop the Bleed program has the potential to save lives. The goal is to train folks and provide a kit to each Upshur County School classroom and bus, she explained.

She said they are encouraging folks to enroll in a class to learn how to pack a wound, apply pressure and apply a tourniquet.

“St. Joseph’s Trauma Program has a goal to get a Stop the Bleed kit in every classroom and bus in Upshur County,” Smith said. “We want janitors, cooks, teachers and students to be able to take this class and use the kits.”

Smith said the kits cost approximately $23 per kit if the trauma department buys the gauze bandages and the gloves and provides the bags to put the kits in.

“I am going to go to the Rotary Club and see if they will give us some funding to help get this rolling in Upshur County,” Smith said. “We are also going to hit churches and some businesses to try and get these in classes everywhere throughout the county.”

Smith said the program is gaining popularity, and several counties down south already are equipped with the Stop the Bleed kits.

In Upshur County, there are approximately 160 classrooms and 50 buses, so to equip each area would cost about $4,600.

BOE members thanked Smith for her presentation and plan to equip the classrooms and train students and staff to Stop the Bleed.

Also, during Tuesday’s meeting, BOE members voted to accept a copier bid from Micrologic. The current copier lease expires on May 1. There were bids from three companies; the current cost was just over $100,000 per year, and the Micrologic bid was $36,000 per year – a significant savings.

Business manager George Carver offered a review of the annual audit.

“We had a new auditor this year. They came in and did their work, asked their questions. There were no findings on the audit,” Carver said. “All in all, I am very pleased with how it turned out.”

Following about a 30-minute executive session, BOE members approved the following personnel items:

Resignations

Rebecca J. Bennett as substitute custodian, effective April 10, 2019.

Brittany Morgan as English Language Arts Teacher at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, effective at the end of the 2018-2019 school year.

Employment of Continuing and Probationary Professional Teachers and Service Personnel as per West Virginia Code §18A-2-8a, effective for the 2019 – 2020 school year

Professional Continuing Status: Andrew Wood, William D. Squires, Douglas Stout, Rena Zirkle, Rod Hunte, Jason Rock, Rebecca Walton, Stacy Groves, Donna Critchfield, Brittany Barlett, Daniel Hepler, Paige Phillips, Laura Meese, Samantha Gainer, LeAnn Nutter, Jennifer Drake, Diana Chewning-Hunte, Krista Noel Hardman, Fran Ross, Tamara Smithson, Amy Hayslette, Judy Clevenger and Taylor Tenney.

Professional Probationary Status: Carrie Stark, Allyson Lewis, H. Michael Roy, Kayla Belt, Lena Samples, Joyce Harris-Thacker, David C. Smith, Jessica Williams, Michael Meadows, Jennifer Dalton, Johnna Allen, Justin Dynes, Marlena Reed, Brooke Weese, Emily Thompson, Debra Harrison, Lisa Critchfield, Lynn Conti, Leah Moss, Jacqueline Crites, Caroline Nanners, Courtney Stafford, Jonathan Sloan Baisden, Janet Coffey, Tracy Hurst, Skylar Fulton and Elizabeth Roselius.

Service Personnel Continuing Status: Crystal Frederick, Luann Nicholson, Anita Hamner, James Stalnaker, Christina Riley, Betsy Jackson, Brandy Spotloe, Steven Anderson, Dion Wamsley and TeLenna Bender.

Service Personnel Probationary Status: Renee Post, James Bailey Jr., Dillon Johnston, Kedron Alfred, Chase Woody, Aaron Anderson, Shay Woody, Charles Wagoner, Andrew Moore, Monica Smith, Edward Lowther, James Sayre, Leonard Fumerola, Matthew Wamsley, Melissa Kelley, Debra Susanne Gompers, John Barnes, Erica Landis, Rebecca Starkey, Samuel Errett IV, Sarah Hollen, Christina Figueroa and Amy Kelley.

Employment, pending certification and background check