Making water safety a priority

MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release

June 24, 2013

LHSC Trauma Program encourages parents to use caution when children are around water this summer

LONDON, Ontario – With the warm weather and summer months upon us, thousands of children and families will flock to the beach, pool and local splash-pad to beat the heat and enjoy some summer fun. London Health Sciences Centre’s (LHSC) Trauma Program would like to remind parents and children of the importance of water safety, during this, National Water Safety Week.

Backyard pools remain the number one setting for children under 5 years of age to drown. “As children drown so quickly and so quietly, it is imperative for parents to keep a watchful eye on their children at all times. A distracted parent may not hear their child wander into the backyard, slip into the pool and drown,” says Lisa Wolfs, Injury Prevention Specialist at LHSC.

As the designated Lead Trauma Hospital (LTH) for the Southwestern Ontario region, LHSC recommends the following measures to avoid predictable and preventable water-related injuries:

Adult supervision
Training for adults – including (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), first aid, water rescue and swimming skills
Child and youth swimming lessons
Four-sided pool fencing
Lifejackets

"Everyone can be at risk for water-related injury and drowning, not just young children” continues Wolfs. "Adolescents and young adults are also at risk of drowning due to overestimations of swimming skill and underestimation of water-related injury risks.”

For further information on LHSC’s trauma program visit: http://www.lhsc.on.ca/About_Us/Trauma/index.htm

About London Health Sciences Centre

London Health Sciences Centre has been at the forefront of medicine in Canada for 138 years and offers the broadest range of specialized clinical services in Ontario. Building on the traditions of its founding hospitals to provide compassionate care in an academic teaching setting, London Health Sciences Centre is home to Children’s Hospital, University Hospital, Victoria Hospital, the Kidney Care Centre, two family medical centres, and two research institutes – Children’s Health Research Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute. As a leader in medical discovery and health research, London Health Sciences Centre has a history of over 65 international and national firsts and attracts top clinicians and researchers from around the world. As a regional referral centre, London Health Sciences Centre cares for the most medically complex patients including critically injured adults and children in southwestern Ontario and beyond. The hospital’s nearly 15,000 staff, physicians, students and volunteers provide care for more than one million patient visits a year. For more information visit www.lhsc.on.ca

- 30 -

For media inquiries contact:

Kathy Leblanc

Corporate Communications and Public Relations

London Health Sciences Centre

519-685-8500, ext. 74772

Kathy.Leblanc@lhsc.on.ca

After-hours assistance:

Call LHSC Switchboard at 519-685-8500 and ask to page the communication consultant on-call