Dr. Liepert (third from right) and Department of Surgery colleagues Drs. Elise Lawson (second from right) and Girma Tefera (right) at a day of surgical policy advocacy in Washington DC.
Update: On March 20th, the Wisconsin Senate unanimously approved the Resolution.
Dr. Amy Liepert took her voice for trauma patients to the Wisconsin State Capitol, which recently resulted in an important win for trauma awareness and prevention.
Making connections at the Capitol
Dr. Liepert was at the Wisconsin State Capitol for the annual Doctor Day, an organized day of medical advocacy, when she stopped into State Representative Jim Steineke’s office to discuss state support for trauma awareness. Dr. Liepert’s colleague, Dr. Chris Davis of the Medical College of Wisconsin, had been having similar conversations with State Representative Dale Kooyenga. Dr. Davis and Dr. Liepert had been working together on getting state support for trauma awareness for several years. Their conversations with legislators converged and resulted in the introduction of Wisconsin Assembly Joint Resolution 111 on February 20th, which passed the Assembly unanimously.
This Resolution:
- Recognizes the Stop the Bleed campaign
- Establishes March 31, 2018, as Wisconsin Trauma Awareness Day
- Encourages all Wisconsin citizens to participate in the initiative and learn more about the importance of bleeding-control measures
Read the full Resolution online.
Stop the Bleed training
Trauma is the leading cause of death for individuals under the age of 30 and the fourth leading cause of death for all ages. One way individual citizens can be prepared for trauma scenarios is through Stop the Bleed training, which teaches people how to stop massive bleeding in emergencies. The Stop the Bleed campaign was initiated by a federal interagency workgroup convened by the National Security Council Staff, and was developed by the Department of Defense. The outreach campaign is now coordinated by the American College of Surgeons and the Hartford Consensus.
In our Department, Dr. Hee Soo Jung has been the lead surgeon for our public Stop the Bleed trainings, which all members of the trauma division have been giving across the community in schools, police departments, and other public agencies. Dr. Liepert is currently coordinating a Stop the Bleed training at the Capitol with the Capitol Police Force.
Past – and future – of advocacy work for Dr. Liepert
Dr. Liepert has been an active surgical health policy advocate throughout her career, including through her current roles as chair of the Wisconsin Surgical Society Policy, Planning and Government Relations Committee, member of the American College of Surgeons Health Policy Group and a region chief of the American College of Surgeons Health Policy Advocacy Council. She has presented to many medical and surgical societies about the importance, and logistics, of health policy advocacy.
In 2017, the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation honored Dr. Liepert’s advocacy work with the Kenneth M. Viste, Jr., MD, Young Physician Leadership Award.
In addition to her own active advocacy work, Dr. Liepert connects young surgeons and physicians to advocacy opportunities. Watch Dr. Liepert’s Grand Rounds presentation on “The Escalating Attack on Surgery: Defining Surgical Health Policy Advocacy” online.
Dr. Liepert has connected with a number of policy makers over the years, including hosting Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and Congressman Mark Pocan to the University Hospital Level 1 Trauma Center to discuss trauma care and policy issues. She has also met with Speaker Paul Ryan and Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson.
Dr. Liepert hopes to build on the success of this Resolution next year by advocating with her colleagues for a state bill that would include funding for Stop the Bleed kits and training in public places, like schools.