STAFF REPORT
Glasgow News 1
Glasgow Police officers are now better equipped to respond to life-threatening bleeding emergencies, thanks to a new partnership with local health care leaders. The T.J. Community Mission Foundation and T.J. Regional Health, working through T.J. Samson Community Hospital’s newly designated Level IV Trauma Center, recently provided individual trauma first aid tourniquet kits to the Glasgow Police Department. According to the organizations, the Foundation supplied 41 individual bleeding-control kits, enough for every Glasgow police officer to carry a personal trauma kit on their utility vest while on duty.
In addition to the individual kits, officials said five advanced sling bags were donated for use by school resource officers. Each advanced bag contains roughly four times the amount of lifesaving supplies found in the standard kits, giving officers serving in schools additional tools to respond to emergencies. Kits like these are designed to help people respond to life-threatening bleeding before emergency medical personnel can get to the scene. Uncontrolled bleeding is described as one of the leading causes of preventable death after injury, and the program focuses on simple but effective techniques such as direct pressure, wound packing and proper tourniquet use.
The project also included specialized Stop the Bleed training for Glasgow officers, taught by certified instructors from T.J. Regional Health. The nationally recognized program teaches participants how to quickly recognize life-threatening bleeding and take immediate action using proven bleeding control techniques. By pairing hands-on instruction with the new trauma kits, hospital officials say officers are better prepared to provide lifesaving care during the critical minutes before emergency medical crews arrive.
Ashley Ritter, trauma program coordinator for T.J. Regional Health, said severe bleeding can cause death in as little as five minutes, often before first responders reach a patient. Ritter said putting bleeding-control kits and training directly in the hands of officers, who are often first on the scene, helps make sure immediate care can begin when every second matters. She also tied the effort to the hospital’s broader trauma mission, noting that as a Level IV Trauma Center, T.J. Regional Health is committed to injury prevention and improving trauma outcomes across the region. Ritter said providing bleeding-control kits to law enforcement extends trauma care beyond the hospital walls and helps ensure lifesaving interventions can begin as early as possible.
Randy Burns, executive director of the T.J. Community Mission Foundation, said the Foundation is honored to provide the equipment and that the health network has a strong working relationship with Glasgow Police leadership and officers. Glasgow Police Chief Guy Howie thanked the Foundation and hospital, saying the kits will give officers immediate trauma tools and training they can have ready every shift. Howie said Glasgow’s strong partnership with T.J. Samson Community Hospital shows how the community can work together and that combining resources is another way to make the community even better.
This is the second project of its kind funded by the T.J. Community Mission Foundation, following a 2021 effort that provided Stop the Bleed kits to Columbia Police and the Adair County Sheriff’s Department. Foundation and hospital leaders say the latest partnership underscores their ongoing commitment, together with local law enforcement, to improve emergency preparedness and enhance public safety throughout south central Kentucky.
Key Facts
– T.J. Community Mission Foundation and T.J. Regional Health donated 41 trauma first aid tourniquet kits to Glasgow Police.
– Every officer receives a personal bleeding-control kit to carry on duty.
– Five advanced sling bags were provided for school resource officers.
– Officers completed specialized Stop the Bleed training from T.J. Regional Health staff.
– Officials say severe bleeding can cause death in as little as five minutes.
– The initiative builds on a 2021 project that supplied kits to Columbia Police and the Adair County Sheriff’s Department.
– The partnership aims to improve emergency preparedness and public safety in south central Kentucky.
