Pediatricians Make Water Safety A Priority By Becoming A Water Safety Champion – Nov 2022
From the moment children are born, parents often become aware of all the dangers that appear as they grow and become curious. Although most of these dangers are part of life, drowning is silent, quick, and can be fatal. According to the CDC, for every 1 fatal childhood drowning, there are another 8 nonfatal drownings that are seen in an emergency department. Thankfully, with the proper water safety strategies and advocacy, drowning is easily preventable.
Along with our collective efforts, many pediatricians are now prioritizing drowning prevention initiatives beyond their offices. With the support of the NDPA’s Chief Medical Advisor and AAP (the American Academy of Pediatrics) president-elect Dr. Benjamin Hoffman and fellow NDPA medical advisor, Dr. Julie Gilchrist, we wanted to make water safety easily accessible to other pediatricians and medical advisors.
To address the ever-present need to advocate for water safety beyond just their practices, NDPA has created an exclusive toolkit for pediatricians with the proper drowning prevention strategies needed to share and advocate for water safety practices with their patients and parents.
Why Should Pediatricians Become Water Safety Champions?
Pediatricians are critical leaders in their field when it comes to child safety. They often see children for a large portion of their life and learn first-hand what concerns parents have for their children. By having a strong relationship with their patients and parents, pediatricians can uniquely position themselves as water safety advocates to address concerns about water-related injury incidents and drowning risks.
By learning, advocating, and implementing the Layers of Protection, pediatricians can show parents that they care about more than just providing healthcare to their children, giving them the peace of mind that their children will be safe beyond office hours.
When Pediatricians Become A Water Safety Champion:
After sign-up, pediatricians will receive exclusive access to NDPA’s Pediatrician Toolkit which includes:
- A personal Water Safety Champion Certificate showcasing their advocacy for water safety
- Printable Water Watcher Cards
- Awareness Posters to hang in offices
- The Layers of Protection Digital Brochure
- Shareable social media posts & videos
- GIFs & Stickers
As Dr. Ben Hoffman states, “Kids need us. They can’t vote, so they need advocates. Pediatricians, by nature, are advocates by the work we can do, not only at the community level but the policy level to help systems change.”
Drowning is a preventable tragedy, but it takes all of us to learn and advocate for the latest knowledge and standards for water safety.
By implementing the Layers of Protection and their Water Safety Champion Status, pediatricians can help protect the lives of children and work together to spread the word about drowning prevention and water safety to their patients and parents.
