Lakeview Regional promotes pool & water safety

Covington, Louisiana – Drownings are preventable, yet Louisiana has the highest drowning rate in the United States for children 1-14 years old. It is the second-leading cause of death among Louisiana children in the same age group. That’s why Lakeview Hospital , a campus of Tulane Medical Center, is joining the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA) and the Louisiana Department of Health to educate the public on pool and water safety to prevent further drownings.

“As families stay home this summer amid the COVID-19 guidelines, it’s more important than ever to be vigilant when children are around pools and spas,” said Dr. Charles Muntan, Lakeview Regional’s emergency room director. “While swim lessons are encouraged for all children, just because they know how to swim doesn’t mean they should ever be left unattended near a pool or open water. This advice isn’t just for toddlers – teens are at the second-highest risk of drowning, next to toddlers.”

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), most child drownings occur at home during the summer months, and 56% of the drownings under 5 years of age are attributed to a gap in adult supervision.

Here are seven safety tips from the CPSC’s Pool Safely: Simple Steps to Save Lives, a national public education campaign to reduce childhood drownings, submersion injuries and entrapments:

1. Never leave a child unattended in or near water.
2. Teach children how to swim.
3. Teach children to stay away from drains.
4. Ensure that all pools and spas in your backyard and any public pool you may visit have compliant drain covers.
5. Install proper barriers, covers and alarms on and around your pool and spa.
6. Know how to perform CPR on children and adults.

About Lakeview Hospital

Lakeview Hospital , a campus of Tulane Medical Center and the first trauma center in St. Tammany Parish, is conveniently located on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, just south of I-12 on Hwy. 190. Lakeview Regional is a 167-bed, private, acute-care hospital delivering award-winning, cost-effective healthcare for more than 40 years. Lakeview Regional’s emergency department offers 24-hour care by a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary team of board-certified physicians. The hospital’s 780 highly trained employees are dedicated to providing the highest quality patient care through state-of-the-art technology. The hospital is located on 53 lush acres at 95 Judge Tanner Blvd., Covington, Louisiana 70433. For more information about Lakeview Regional, please visit Lakeview Regional or call 985.867.3800.