Did you know? Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death among children ages 1 to 4.

The Pediatric Associates Foundation is proud to partner with Cox Media Group for the first annual Splash Your Way to Safety event on Saturday, July 15 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at The Lagoon at Castaway Island Water Park (located within T.Y. Park).

Under the guidance of Water Smart Broward, the free community event will educate parents, caregivers and children about safer practices around water and drowning prevention tools. Participants will receive hands-on education through interactive demonstrations in and out of the water. The first 300 children will receive a free swim shirt and breakfast.

“After the overwhelming success and community involvement with our Kids Bike Ride to Health event in March, the Pediatric Associates Foundation wanted to turn our attention to water safety. As physicians, we have an obligation to ensure every child in South Florida is armed with the tools and knowledge to swim safely. Drowning is preventable, and we will do everything in our power to change the staggering statistics related to drowning injuries and fatalities,” said David Marcus, M.D., president of the Pediatric Associates Foundation and physician in Pediatric Associates’ Boca Raton office.

Drowning Statistics (Source: Water Smart Broward)

• In Florida, drownings happen year round; however most fatal and non-fatal drownings occur during spring and summer.
• Broward County has one of the highest rates of drowning fatalities among children ages 1 to 4 each year.
• Broward County has an average of eight drowning fatalities annually among children ages 1 to 4.
• The average hospital stay is two days with a median admission charge of $16,338.
• The monetary cost of drowning in Florida for a year is greater than $15 million
• Most children who die from a drowning were never intended to be in the water; they wandered away from a supervised area to enter the water alone.
• Over 90% of Florida's home swimming pools were built before the Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act in 2000 which requires only one physical barrier for pools.

Sponsored in part by:

For additional event information, contact Pediatric Associates Marketing and Events Manager Suzette Howell at showell@pediatricassociates.com or 954-487-1081.