All in for pool safety - The SWIM program
Monica Mitchell, PhD, senior director of Community Relations, was among the representatives of the organizations who discussed the partnership at a June 8 news conference beside the swimming pool at the Hirsch Recreation Center in Avondale.
As swimming pools throughout the city begin opening for the summer, Cincinnati Children’s is partnering with three local organizations to help safeguard local kids.
The collaboration involves Cincinnati Children’s, the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC).
This is the first time these organizations have collaborated to promote pool safety through the SWIM program. The acronym stands for: Summer fun, Working together, Impacting the community, Making a difference.
The goal of the SWIM program is to ensure every child knows how to swim–and that pools are staffed with trained lifeguards. Cincinnati Children’s is providing funding to support the work of the other organizations, each of which operates swimming pools in the city of Cincinnati. The SWIM program helps ensure kids can get swim lessons regardless of a family’s financial circumstances. The new funding will expand programming and resources to more than 500 children.
“The SWIM initiative is critical as it will expand access to swim lessons and highlight the importance of water safety for children and families,” noted Monica Mitchell, Senior Director of Community Relations.
“According to our trauma registry, Cincinnati Children’s saw an increase in the number of drownings in 2020 compared with previous years,” Monica noted. “During the pandemic, nine children from the Tristate experienced drownings, compared with only one to three in previous years. This is likely due to more children and families staying at home and being in or near home pools and water.”
She cited the importance of providing resources for guidance on pool safety, especially for communities of color. Reports show that Black and Hispanic children and parents are less likely to know how to swim.
Drowning is a leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 14, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. And Black children 5 or older are 5.5 times more likely to drown in a pool, perhaps because of disparities in swimming skills.
Cincinnati Children’s employees who are interested in swim lessons for themselves or their children but do not have the necessary financial resources can email communityrelations@cchmc.org to be connected with an organization that may provide assistance.