Thirty years ago, doctors and health care workers fanned out among the public with a mission: teach Americans CPR so they could save lives in the event of a medical crisis.
It worked, and CPR instruction has done wonders in cutting down the death rate from heart attacks and strokes.
Now, officials with University Health System, are leading the next movement: teaching Americans how to stop severe bleeding and give an accident victim the chance to make it to the hospital.
"During a time of crisis, some of us lose our thought process," Jim Reed of the San Antonio Medical Foundation told News Radio 1200 WOAI's Morgan Montalvo. "This becomes automatic when you know what you're doing because you've gone through training."
The University Hospital is offering a free course called 'Stop the Bleed' the first Monday of every month.
Dr. Brian Eastridge, the Medical Director of Trauma at University Health System, says the severe bleeding is a leading cause of death in accident victims, and stopping bleeding is something that any trained civilian can do.
"Any ability to manage hemorrhage has the potential to save a life," he said. "The earlier we can affect bleeding control, the better the outcome is going to be."
The class is 90-minutes long and is open to everyone, especially people with no medical training.
IMAGE: UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM