Save Our Community School-based Team Gets Certified in Stop the Bleed Training

Reducing gun violence in Toledo requires a cross-sector, collaborative, and evidence-based approach. With these facts in mind, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE) and Save Our Community (SOC) continually looks for opportunities to further develop our team’s skillsets and for ways to share those opportunities with our partners.

MONSE and SOC recently offered a Stop the Bleed, which provides life-saving first-aid skills to treat traumatic injuries, training session. SOC Commissioner Josh Davies says that “Professional development for our staff is an important way to ensure that our work is being done at the highest level. When we invite partner organizations and community members to the table for these trainings, the potential impact is multiplied across Toledo, and the ecosystem of those working to address gun violence is strengthened.”

Angela Castillo, RN, led the Stop the Bleed workshop for members of Save Our Community’s school-based team and representatives from Toledo Public Schools. Castillo, the Injury Prevention Coordinator at UTMC, and the representatives from TPS have also joined MONSE’s monthly Community Action Table meetings where experts and community members are developing an action plan to address gun violence in Toledo.

The training was well received by those in attendance. According to SOC Outreach Specialist Cassandra Rousos, “Everybody on the team was genuinely eager to learn and was excited with the knowledge they gained… it’s an amazing toolkit.”

Commissioner Davies adds, “Our collaborative approach not only makes it easier to share opportunities across the violence prevention ecosystem, it also leads to new and exciting ideas on what additional steps can be taken to amplify our impact even further. How can we reach people in neighborhoods, churches, schools, and online? The more people we have at the table, the more fruitful those discussions become.”

In the coming weeks, MONSE is coordinating trainings with Rewire CBT, the National Office of Victim Assistance, and the E-Responder model for SOC staff and partners.

To learn more about Stop the Bleed trainings in Toledo or to schedule one for your group or organization, please contact Angela Castillo, RN, at angela.castillo@utoledo.edu