Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona

The Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona appreciates the continued support of Timothy J. Flood, M.D. and the Arizona Department of Health Service in the creation of this annual report. For an electronic version of this report go to: https://www.azdhs.gov/preparedness/public-health-statistics/index.php#publications  This annual report provides statistical information about drownings and nonfatal drownings occurring in Arizona, with a focus on incidents occurring in Maricopa county. Starting with data for 2016 we analyze Arizona hospitalization data, called the Hospital Discharge Database (HDD). The national switch in late 2015 to ICD-10-CM diagnostic coding allows a robust analyses of admissions to emergency departments and to the inpatient setting. In 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 the HDD recorded 419, 454, 431, and 410 statewide admissions (incidents) among persons of all ages. Young children (0-4 years of age) comprised 952 of these admissions statewide. For the 4-year period, a...

Romey is joined by Melissa Sutton of Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona to discuss water and pool safety. A big thanks to Pentair for sponsoring the video we couldn't have done it without them.

DPCA: Holidays see spike in drownings; keep vigilance up CONTACT: Jay Arthur, DPCA Vice President  Mobile 602-518-6008 What:                     Water Safety advocates join to encourage vigilance during holiday celebrations. When:                   10 am, July 3 Where:                Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, 11111 N. 7 th St, Phoenix Why:               While overall numbers are down from the previous two years, the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona warns that holidays often bring a rise in drowning numbers. The spikes can be contributed to distractions, alcohol consumptions and the lack of life jacket use. Comparison:      Year-to-d...

CONTACT: Jay Arthur, DPCA Vice President   Mobile 602-518-6008 DROWNING PREVENTION OFFICIALS: “GETTING TO THE POINTE OF WATER SAFETY” Free Family Friendly Event Highlights Annual Issue This Saturday, May 4, the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona, Phoenix Fire Department, and water safety advocates come together for a public family-friendly event designed to educate the community about drowning prevention. The “Getting to the Pointe of Water Safety” is celebrating its 20 th year at The Hole-In-The-Wall River Ranch by Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort.   This free event is held annually to bring the community together for a one-stop-shop for education and information. “While this location is amazing and fun for families to enjoy, we hope that the takeaway is that we need to be vigilant around all bodies of water,” says DPCA President Melissa Sutton. “The tragedy of the 8-month-old who drowned in a toilet this week underscores that importance.” ...

CONTACT: Lori Schmidt, DPCA Media Coordinator Mobile 480-272-1710 Email: lschmidt@scottsdaleaz.gov Melissa Sutton, DPCA President Mobile 480-570-9830 Email: melissasutton@preventdrownings.org ARIZONA WATER SAFETY ADVOCATES TO BE HONORED  AT ANNUAL DROWNING PREVENTION COALITION EVENT This August, the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona will host the annual awards breakfast , recognizing those who make a difference in drowning prevention.   This special event is scheduled from 7-9 am, Aug. 23, at the historic A.E. England Building at Civic Space Park in downtown. Valley partners, such as event co-sponsor SRP, will be in attendance. Many valley business leaders, municipalities, first responders, hospitals and families whom have suffered a fatal or non-fatal drowning are expected to be in attendance.    This year’s nominees are: Advocacy Award: ·          Juana Hernandez (Salt River Project)...

CONTACT: Lori Schmidt, DPCA Immediate Past President, Mobile (480) 272-1710 Tracy Koslowski, DPCA Advisory Council, Drexel Heights Fire District (520) 419-5863 DPCA, FIRE DEPARTMENTS: MOUTH-TO-MOUTH CPR BY BYSTANDERS CRITICAL IN DROWNING INCIDENTS August is Drowning Impact Awareness Month Drowning is a quiet process.  There’s no splashing or yelling. The person struggles to doggy paddle, gulping for air (and maybe swallowing water), followed quickly by the inability to speak, breathe properly or swim. Simply put, drowning occurs when someone stops breathing because the body senses that they are beginning to take water in the lungs, and it automatically shuts down breathing completely.   Loss of consciousness happens quickly. A lack of air in the lungs causes the brain and heart to be starved of oxygen, which can lead to death. Mouth-to-Mouth CPR is critical to stop the drowning process by providing the brain and heart the oxygen it so...

CONTACT: Lori Schmidt, DPCA Immediate Past President, Mobile (480) 272-1710 Patty Garcia-Likens, SRP Spokesperson, (602) 245-0047 **Media is invited to a kick-off event, 9 am, Wednesday, Aug. 1, at the SRP PERA Club pool, 1 E. Continental Dr., Tempe, AZ 85281. Visuals to include CPR demonstration, pool, and Valley fire representatives. DPCA and SRP partner with Valley Fire departments to offer FREE Mouth-to-Mouth CPR awareness classes Drowning is a quiet process.  There’s no splashing or yelling. The person struggles to doggy paddle, gulping for air (and maybe swallowing water), followed quickly by the inability to speak, breathe properly or swim. Simply put, drowning occurs when someone stops breathing because the body senses that they are beginning to take water in the lungs, and it automatically shuts down breathing completely.   Loss of consciousness happens quickly.  A lack of air in the lungs causes the brai...

CONTACT: Lori Schmidt, DPCA Immediate Past President, Mobile 480-272-1710, lschmidt@scottsdaleaz.gov IT’S A DROWNING (Not Dry, near, secondary or delayed) DPCA to address Drowning Terminology Misnomers Before 2002, there were 33 different published definitions of drowning and near drowning. Some of these definitions and terms were confusing and made tracking of drowning patients very difficult. For example, if someone was rescued from the water and taken to the hospital as a “near drowning” and they died a few days later as a result of complications, cause of death may be listed as “respiratory failure” and not as drowning. From a medical and public health standpoint, the initial event that caused death was drowning, but the fatality was never listed as being caused by drowning. At Thursday’s Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona general meeting, Dr. Andrew Schmidt from Lifeguards Without Borders, will discuss the misnomers and attempt to ge...

CONTACT: Jay Arthur, DPCA Vice President  Mobile 602-518-6008 DROWNING PREVENTION OFFICIALS: “GETTING TO THE POINTE OF WATER SAFETY” Free Family Friendly Event Highlights Annual Issue The Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona, Phoenix Fire Department, and water safety advocates join together for a public family-friendly event designed to educate the community about the importance of safety around water on Saturday, May 12. The “Getting to the Pointe of Water Safety” annual event will again be hosted at The Hole-In-The-Wall River Ranch by Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort. This free event is held annually to bring the community together at Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort for a fun opportunity to remind families the importance of water safety and is a one-stop-shop for education and information. Thanks to a grant from the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals, DPCA will be giving out lifejackets and $250 of free swim lessons....