Health and safety reminders ahead of November’s nine-day deer hunt

Eau Claire, Wis. – As hunters take to the woods, marshes and fields across Wisconsin for the traditional nine-day deer hunt in November, HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals and Prevea Health ask all to keep health and safety top of mind.

“Injuries and life-threatening conditions bring deer hunters to our emergency department each year,” says Tyler Bowe, trauma coordinator at HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s hospitals. “Some of the most common injuries we see include heart attacks, broken bones and back injuries.”

Undiagnosed heart disease, overexerting one’s-self beyond their limits and being unprepared for the weather are common factors in hunting-related injuries and illnesses. Falls from tree stands are also common, resulting in more injuries each year than gun-related hunting injuries, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Bowe strongly recommends hunters carry a cell phone and hunt with a partner should an unexpected injury or illness occur in the woods.

“Whether a hunter accidently cuts themselves, experiences chest pain, falls from a tree stand or happens to twist their ankle; being able to ask for help is critical,” he says. “The seriousness of these injuries can only get worse when a hunter finds themself unable to get help because they ventured out alone or didn’t bring along a cell phone.”

Additional health and safety tips for hunters include:

• Always wear fall-restraint harnesses while in trees
• Always maintain 3-points of contact with trees while climbing
• Bring a first-aid kit to deal with potential injuries
• Take intermittent breaks while hiking, dragging, and processing deer to decrease risks of a heart attack
• Pack dry clothes, rain gear and wear layers to help prevent the risk of experiencing hypothermia
• Maintain proper ventilation when using propane heat inside of cabins and enclosed deer stands to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning

For more information about deer hunting health and safety, please visit the hunting season safety page on the Prevea website.

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About HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital
HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the Founding Institute, and it is an affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System. Since 1885, it has served the people of the Chippewa Falls area with health care that is high tech and high touch. Known locally for the quality of the care it provides patients, the hospital has been recognized nationally for its outstanding patient satisfaction levels.

About HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital
HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the Founding Institute, and it is an affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System. Since 1889, it has been meeting patient needs in western Wisconsin with the latest medical innovations and technology, together with a Franciscan whole-person healing tradition.

About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality, Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our physician practices and 15 local hospitals in two states - Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan, and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries,  and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.

About Prevea Health

Founded in Green Bay, Wis. in 1996, Prevea Health is a health care organization that provides high-quality, primary and specialty health care in 80+ locations across northern, eastern and western Wisconsin in clinic and hospital settings. It is partnered with six Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) hospitals across Wisconsin to provide patients a system of highly-coordinated care, close to home: HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay; HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan; HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls; HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire; and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls. For more information, visit www.prevea.com.