The Drowning Prevention Foundation

The Drowning Prevention Foundation is one of the oldest and leading organizations working on ending drowning incidents in California. We are proud to co-sponsor and support SB 442 and your efforts to protect California's young children from residential pool drowning. Your bill provides an important update to our twenty year old Pool Safety Act, whi... ch we were involved in passing back in 1996. This bill, SB 442, covers one of the Top Ten issues lifted from the CA Unintentional Injury Prevention Strategic Plan Project. Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death and hospitalization for California's children and youth ages 1-19 and the leading cause of injury related death for babies and infants. Drowning is the leading cause of injury related deaths for California's children ages one to four. For every one child that drowns and dies, 4-5 others are hospitalized due to suffering a "near-drowning" incident, which can lead to life-long brain damage due to lack of oxygen during the drowning incident. One near drowning victim with brain damage can result in more than $5 million in hospital costs. Drowning incidents cost California's health care system more than $195 million a year. There are many other healthcare and societal costs association with near drowning not reflected in the $195 million annual price tag. For example near drowning survivors make up one of the largest populations cared for by California's Department of Developmental Services (DDS). DDS reports it has more than 770 near downing clients on its current roster of those being cared for by DDS. SB 442 updates one of our state's efforts to end residential pool drowning or at least make it a very rare event.Read More