The Public Access Trauma Care (PATC) program has expanded equipment distribution and training opportunities in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. These initiatives will increase the accessibility of medical equipment to allow individuals to render life-saving medical aid to injured patients.
Injuries that result in traumatic bleeding events can occur in various settings throughout communities. Automobile collisions, workplace accidents, construction mishaps, sports injuries, penetrating trauma, and other medical events can all lead to significant blood loss. A victim suffering from a major bleeding incident may potentially bleed out before the arrival of medical professionals. The Maryland-National Capital Region Emergency Response System (MDERS) developed the PATC program to provide civilians with the requisite knowledge, skills, abilities, and equipment to treat life-threatening injuries.
A PATC individual kit contains the medical supplies to treat major bleeding injuries, pneumothorax, and hypothermia. The kit contains a Combat-Application-Tourniquet (C-A-T), emergency trauma dressing, compressed gauze, medical gloves, trauma shears, chest seals, a mylar blanket, a permanent marker, a mini duct tape roll, and an instruction card. Five kits and a patient movement device are placed in a durable bag located in an accessible cabinet.
MDERS has coordinated with regional partners on the installation and placement of these medical supplies throughout the Maryland-National Capital Region (MD-NCR). In the last year, PATC 5-pack kits have been placed in Montgomery College, Prince George’s County Public high schools, Prince George’s County government buildings, and University of Maryland Global Campus facilities. Planned installations will occur later this year in Montgomery County government buildings and at the Universities at Shady Grove. The totality of these distributions exceeds 1,000 PATC 5-pack kits provided to our regional partners to create an immediate medical response capability to treat time-sensitive injuries.
In conjunction with the allocation of PATC 5-pack kits, MDERS has developed and procured training materials to educate the public to identify and treat medical emergencies. Five training videos were created to show viewers how to apply a chest seal, apply direct pressure, apply a tourniquet, maneuver a victim into the recover position, and pack a wound. A training presentation was created and provided to regional partners to allow for instruction on the basic medical steps needed to render proper aid to injured individuals. To support these trainings and promote hands-on practice with the PATC medical supplies, MDERS has established a training cache that can be utilized by our partners. MDERS has also acquired a training cache for Montgomery County Public Schools and will soon supply a training cache Prince George’s County Public Schools to teach students about the basic medical skills associated with the PATC program.
MDERS will continue investments in equipment and training for the PATC program will help promote prompt medical intervention by civilians to render life-saving medical aid. If you have any questions about the PATC program, please reach out via email to mders.org@maryland.gov.