Colin’s Hope has launched multiple media campaigns to highlight National Water Safety Month. During the month of May, we will be sharing water safety tips, encouraging adults and caregivers to become Water Guardians by taking the Colin’s Hope Water Safety Quiz, and we will be partnering with FCB Health on an amazing campaign called NOT OUT OF THE WATER. Check out all we have going on in the coming weeks, follow us on Facebook for the latest information, and join our mailing list to receive water safety and drowning prevention tips year-round.

FCB HEALTH & NOT OUT OF THE WATER

Colin’s Hope has great news to share about a new partnership we have formed with FCB Health that will help us reach more families and children with valuable water safety and drowning prevention messages.

You may recall the “Demystifying Dry Drowning” story from KXAN News that ran on April 30, or have seen your Facebook feed full of the words “dry drowning,” “secondary drowning,” and “delayed drowning” (none of which are medical terms acknowledged by medical professionals). FCB Health NY has JUST LAUNCHED the website www.notoutofthewater.com in an effort to educate parents and caregivers of the drowning signs and symptoms they need to look for the AFTER LEAVING THE WATER. Colin’s Hope was able to help with the content of the site and FCB Health NY will direct site visitors to www.colinshope.org for general water safety resources and tips. We are so proud to partner with FCB Health to impact more families and children, ultimately preventing more drownings.

Below is the commentary we wrote to help simplify the definition of drowning after leaving the water, signs and symptoms of drowning and our most basic water safety tip: Watch Kids Around Water.

“Drowning is a process with multiple outcomes (Fatal,non-fatal with injury/illness and non-fatal without injury/illness). The medical definition of drowning is defined as “respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid” (Hawkings, Semprsrott & Schmidt).

The drowning process begins in water and the outcome can occur in water (as in most cases) or it can occur after leaving the water (as in some cases that have been recently described as dry, secondary or delayed drowning).

There are signs and symptoms in drownings that people need to look for after leaving the water if a person has experienced some type of water related incident (inhaling water, choking on water). Some of these signs are: trouble breathing, chest pain, persistent coughing, vomiting, foam around the mouth, low energy, extreme sleepiness, acting unusual and irritability. If you see these signs in your child, seek medical help immediately.

Bottom line: Watch Kids around water, Keep them in Arm’s Reach. If you do this, you will see a drowning incident as it happens and be able to react – either to rescue or watch for symptoms that may occur after leaving the water.

Thank you again for your attention to our mission to raise water safety awareness to prevent drowning. Together, we can achieve the vision of world where no child drowns.

NATIONAL WATER SAFETY MONTH PRESS RELEASE

Colin’s Hope: Kicks off the BE A WATER GUARDIAN CAMPAIGN to Prevent Drowning

Colin’s Hope is working throughout May to educate parents and caregivers of simple things that can do to prevent drowning

Austin , Texas May 1, 2018​ – May is National Water Safety Month and Colin’s Hope, a local water safety and drowning prevention organization formed in August 2008 after 4-year-old Colin Holst fatally drowned in a public, lifeguarded pool.

Colin’s Hope kicks off their annual water safety campaign this month to educate parents and caregivers of simple things that can do to prevent drowning as drowning remains the number one cause of unintentional death for children under 5 and a leading cause for ages 1-14. Yet drowning is preventable. Sadly, Texas has already lost at least 19 children to fatal drownings this year. 5x as many have survived a non-fatal drowning that will impact them and their families for their lifetime.

National Water Safety Month is a collaborative national effort to bring attention aquatic safety.

“Drowning is fast, silent, and preventable. This year marks the 10-year anniversary of our son Colin’s death and the launch of Colin’s Hope,” said Colin’s Hope founders parents Jeff and Jana Holst. “We are proud of all that Colin’s Hope has accomplished in the last decade and are passionately committed to doing all that we can to ensure that no other family loses
a child to drowning. Please remember that drowning is preventable and no one is drownproof. Please educate yourselves and change your behaviors to be safer around water. We challenge you to BE A WATER GUARDIAN. Together, we can achieve the vision of a world where no child drowns.”

Colin’s Hope challenges all parents and adults to be Water Guardians for children by taking the Colin’s Hope Water Safety Quiz at www.colinshope.org/watersafetymonth/