Atrium Health Navicent issued the following announcement on June 14.
With the days getting hotter, Atrium Health Navicent encourages the community to take care when cooling off in pools and natural bodies of water such as rivers, lakes and the ocean to reduce drowning risk.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children aged 1 to 14. More children aged 1 to 4 die from drowning than any other cause of death except birth defects. In the United States, 11 children die every day as a result of drowning, and even if a child doesn’t die from drowning, it can lead to brain damage and other long-term disabilities.
Parents and others in the community can help prevent drowning by:
• Learning life-saving skills: Everyone should know the basics of swimming (floating and moving through the water) and how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
• Fencing off swimming pools and other bodies of water near homes: Fencing with self-closing and self-latching gates can help keep children away from water when they aren’t being supervised. Fences also separate homes and play areas from pools and other bodies of water.
• Wearing a life jacket: Children and weaker swimmers should wear life jackets in and around pools and other bodies of water – even if they know how to swim.
• Supervising children in water: When children are in or near water (including bathtubs) they should be supervised at all times. Drowning happens quickly and quietly. Adults supervising should avoid distracting activities like playing cards, reading books, talking on the phone, drinking alcohol and using drugs.
“Constant adult supervision is critical to keeping children safe in and around water,” said Dr. Kimberly Myers, a pediatric emergency center physician at Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital. “Teaching children how to swim when they’re young gives them life-long skills to stay safe while enjoying water recreation. If you see someone drowning, call 911 and remove them from the water if you can do so safely. Perform CPR until help arrives.”
Original source can be found here.
