Legislation Expanding the Accessibility of ‘STOP THE BLEED’ Trauma Kits Clears the Senate Committee on Health

(Sacramento, CA) – Today, Assembly Bill (AB) 70, authored by Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez (D – Pomona), unanimously passed the Senate Committee on Health. This legislation would require certain public and private buildings undergoing renovations or modifications with costs exceeding $100,000 to install and maintain six trauma kits on their premises to treat someone needing emergency medical care. 

“As a career first responder, I have vast experience treating someone suffering severe blood loss and understand how critical those first few minutes are to their survival. Expanding the accessibility of trauma kits in buildings statewide will empower bystanders to serve as immediate responders and help ‘STOP THE BLEED’ while first responders are on the way,” stated Assemblymember Rodriguez. 

This legislation is an expansion of last year’s AB 2260 (Rodriguez, Chapter 556, Statutes of 2022), which now requires newly constructed specified public and private buildings to install and maintain six trauma kits on the building’s premises to treat individuals needing emergency medical care. 

In 2015, President Obama launched the ‘STOP THE BLEED’ campaign in an effort to encourage more Americans to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help save lives. Today, more than 2.6 million people worldwide have received ‘STOP THE BLEED’ training. 

According to the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, someone suffering severe blood loss can lose their life in as little as five minutes. As every second is crucial to survival, it is essential to properly train and equip bystanders, who often act as immediate responders while medical professionals rush to arrive on the scene. 

The Texas Tourniquet Study Group Study shows that patients arriving at a hospital with a tourniquet for an injury to an extremity blood vessel were nearly six times less likely to die compared with those who did not have a tourniquet. AB 70 will ensure more tourniquets are available in trauma kits across the state to better equip Californians with this life-saving tool. 

"The Red Cross is proud to support AB 70. At a moment's notice, any one of us might find ourselves in a situation where we are the help until help arrives. Trauma kits contain supplies for anyone to be able to deal with life-threatening injuries and control bleeding. Join us to help save lives," added Christy Woods, Government Relations, American Red Cross. 

Assemblymember Rodriguez (Twitter) represents the 53rd Assembly District which includes the cities of Chino, Montclair, Ontario, Pomona, and Upland. He is Chair of the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management.