November 18, 2022: National Injury Prevention Day

Shining a Light on Youth Drowning Prevention

Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability to U.S. children from 1 to 18 years old. Every day, 20 children die from preventable injuries, resulting in more deaths than all other diseases combined. In fact, injury is the leading cause of death for people through 44 years of age.

Recording & Overview

 

Learn about Being a Lifeguard: The recording of this virtual workshop includes aquatic managers and student lifeguards who share their personal and professional experiences as lifeguards.

Audience: High school students, parents, teachers, aquatic facilities, aquatic managers, public health professionals, media

Questions: hiprccom@uw.edu

Additional resources and information, please visit SPLASHForward.

 

 

Interested in a Becoming a Lifeguard?

All students who registered for our Free Student Lifeguard Workshop on November 15th (or watched the recording) are highly encouraged to take the next steps in completing a Free Lifeguard Training certification. In order to certify, YOU MUST BE 15 YEARS-OLD *by the Final Day of the Free Lifeguard Training.

SIGN UP NOW for your Free Lifeguard Training!

In addition to covering the costs of your Lifeguard Certification, HIPRC will also work with community partners to help you find job opportunities as a lifeguard.

If you are interested in becoming a lifeguard, but first need to learn how to swim or want to strengthen your swim skills, you will be connected with local aquatic facilities to acquire the skills necessary for certification.

For additional resources and information, please visit SPLASHForward.

In support of National Injury Prevention Day 2022, Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center (HIPRC) joined Injury Free Coalition for Kids and other community partners in “Shining a Light” to prevent serious childhood injury.

Together with Public Health – Seattle & King County, Seattle Children’s, SPLASHForward, and Amazon, HIPRC co-hosted a FREE (Virtual) Student Lifeguard Workshop on November 15th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom.

On Friday, November 18th, National Injury Prevention Day 2022 culminated in hospitals and trauma centers across the nation bathing their buildings in green light. In Seattle, Harborview Medical Center’s Tower roof and 9th Ave entrance was illuminated in green! Click here to learn more about National Injury Prevention Day 2022.


STUDENT LIFEGUARD WORKSHOP

Click to Download (PDF)

Learn about Being a Lifeguard


PROCLAMATIONS

City of Seattle, WA

King County, WA

South Seattle & South King County

Aquatic Centers & High Schools

Over 860 children and teens die every year in the U.S. from drowning. In Washington state, an average of 17 children and teens drown every year. Most of them are swimming, boating or just playing in or near water.

Drowning most often occurs quickly and quietly during periods of inadequate supervision. Adult supervision is often a contributing factor for childhood drowning. Adequate supervisory behavior has been described as being composed of 3 components: proximity, attention, and continuity. It is important to stress that no single intervention is fully protective. Rather, multiple layers of protection are recommended. 

Resources for Drowning Prevention:

  • Seattle Children’s and The Washington State Drowning Prevention Network (WA DPN): Washington state is a leader in drowning prevention. Seattle Children’s and the WA DPN work together to provide you with information and resources on water safety and drowning prevention.
  • American Red Cross: Learn how to Prevent or Take Action in a Drowning Incident by using the “Chain of Drowning Survival” (available in English and Spanish)
  • Parents, Children, and Teens: Have fun and be safe using these resources about swimming, life jackets and water safety at home, in swimming pools and on open water, like lakes.
  • Life jacket loaner program: Borrow life jackets for free at boating ramps, bathing beaches and other sites around Washington.
  • American Academy of Pediatrics Drowning Prevention Toolkit: Drowning can happen to any family. It’s quick, and it’s silent. Learn more on how to prevent and keep children safe with AAP’s new Drowning Prevention Toolkit.
  • #RecreateResponsibly How to Recreate Responsibly: Water Safety Edition: Enjoying time outside includes being water-safe. Know your own limits, as even confident and strong swimmers can get into trouble. Follow, share and contribute to this guidance by #RecreateResponsibly to safely recreate in, on, or around water.

Please share these resources with parents and caregivers. #DrowningPrevention

  • Amazon: Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. We look to leverage our scale for good and use our ability to innovate quickly to strengthen communities around the world where our employees live and work. We support community partners to find solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges and build long-term, innovative programs that have a lasting, positive impact.
  • Harborview Medical Center: Harborview Medical Center is a comprehensive healthcare facility dedicated to providing specialized care for a broad spectrum of patients from throughout the Pacific Northwest, including the most vulnerable residents of King County. As the only designated Level I adult and pediatric trauma and verified burn center in the state of Washington, Harborview serves as the regional trauma and burn referral center for Alaska, Montana and Idaho and the disaster preparedness and disaster control hospital for Seattle and King County.
  • Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center: HIPRC is a worldwide leader in injury prevention research. We are committed to public engagement and strive to partner with impacted communities in achieving injury prevention and health equity across the lifespan.
  • Injury Free Coalition for Kids: The Injury Free Coalition for Kids is among the country’s most effective injury prevention programs. We are a national program developed with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation comprised of hospital-based, community-oriented programs whose efforts are anchored in research, education and advocacy.
  • Public Health – Seattle & King County: The Violence and Injury Prevention Unit at Public Health-Seattle & King County (PHSKC) co-leads the Statewide Drowning Prevention Network and also coordinates programs to prevent drowning, traffic related injury and several different violence prevention efforts.
  • SPLASHForward: SPLASHForward is a nonprofit advocacy, aquatics thought leader, and private fundraising partner. We envision a world where everyone is safe around water and has equitable access to best-in-class aquatic centers that are vibrant places of pride and inclusive for all. Our mission is to build healthier, stronger, and safer communities by creating equitable access to aquatic facilities and programs that build essential life skills, inclusion, connection, and active lifestyles.
  • Seattle Children’s: Seattle Children’s mission is to provide hope, care and cures to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible. We care for communities beyond our hospital to offer programs, education, and services to support the health and safety of children, teens, and families where they live. Caring for children is our passion, our commitment, and our privilege.
HIPRC Faculty/Staff featured in group photo wearing green in honor of 2022 National Injury Prevention Day (November 18, 2022)

HIPRC faculty and staff wear green in honor of National Injury Prevention Day.

Harborview Medical Center illuminated in green in honor of National Injury Prevention Day.

Seattle Children’s Research Institute (Jack R. MacDonald building) illuminated in green in honor of National Injury Prevention Day.

Seattle Convention Center illuminated in green in honor of National Injury Prevention Day.