{"id":24558,"date":"2026-05-21T08:03:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T12:03:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/?p=24558"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:14:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T18:14:44","slug":"rhhd-shares-water-safety-tips-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/2026\/05\/21\/rhhd-shares-water-safety-tips-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"RHHD Shares Water Safety Tips 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 21, 2026<\/p>\n<p>Media Contact: Bryan Hooten, bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Healthy and Safe Swimming Week is May 18-24<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>RICHMOND, Va. \u2014 As summer gets ready to start, Richmond and Henrico Health Districts urge families to make water safety part of every day. Drowning happens quickly and quietly, and it remains a leading cause of death for young children. With simple steps, most drownings can be prevented.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHealthy and Safe Swimming Week gives us the opportunity to focus on keeping ourselves and our families safe around water, whether we are enjoying time at a pool, lake, river, or ocean,\u201d said Richmond and Henrico Health Director Elaine Perry, M.D. \u201cThis summer, let\u2019s build our safety skills, increase our awareness, and stop drownings before they start.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>From 2020 to 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/swim-healthy\/drowning-in-virginia\/\">473 Virginians<\/a> died from drowning, and more than half of those deaths happened in natural waters like rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Drownings can happen anywhere and children are especially at risk. Last year, the Virginia Department of Health reported a six-year high of 12 pool drownings in children 0 to 5 years old.<\/p>\n<h2>Drowning Prevention Tips<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Make sure kids and adults have basic swimming and water safety skills.<\/li>\n<li>Actively supervise children in or near water. Designate a responsible adult to be the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.safekids.org\/other-resource\/water-watcher-card\">water watcher<\/a> and watch the kids in the water without distractions. It\u2019s easy to get pulled away by conversation or a quick glance at a screen.<\/li>\n<li>Never swim alone. Always swim with a buddy. If something happens, having a friend with you could save your life.<\/li>\n<li>Use U.S. Coast Guard\u2013approved life jackets when needed.<\/li>\n<li>Know how to recognize and respond to a swimmer in distress and how to perform CPR.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t drink and swim. Alcohol slows your reactions and can make you make bad decisions. Stay out of the water if you\u2019ve been drinking.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Drowning prevention is important but swimming can also lead to illness from germs in the water and injuries from slips, falls, or unsafe conditions.<\/p>\n<h2>Swimming Safety Tips<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Avoid getting water in your mouth. Never swallow water from an untreated water source or a pool.<\/li>\n<li>Wash hands frequently, including after swimming and before preparing and eating food.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid swimming in a pool if you can\u2019t see the bottom. Cloudy water is a serious safety hazard.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid swimming in natural water if the water has a green film, foul odor, dead or dying fish, or is discolored.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid diving or jumping in creeks and ponds you don\u2019t know. Hidden rocks and snags can injure you.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid swimming if you are ill, vomiting or have diarrhea.<\/li>\n<li>Check diapers often and take bathroom breaks every hour.<\/li>\n<li>Cover cuts or wounds with waterproof bandages. Bacteria, viruses and other organisms can infect wounds causing more serious illness.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid swimming in natural waters for three days after rain. Runoff can carry germs into the water.<\/li>\n<li>Never run near water. The area can be slippery.<\/li>\n<li>Shower before and after swimming.<\/li>\n<li>Watch for strong currents and riptides at the beach. Check your local <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/waterborne-hazards-control\/swimming-advisories-and-monitored-beaches-map\/\">Beach Map<\/a> for water quality updates before you go.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Visit\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/rhhd.gov\/\">rhhd.gov<\/a>\u202ffor more health and safety information. Follow RHHD on Instagram (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/richmondcity_hd\">@richmondcity_hd<\/a>) and\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RichmondHenricoHealthDistricts\">Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"># # #<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) are sister public health agencies serving our connected communities. Our mission is to protect health, champion equity, and partner to address local needs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/rhhd.gov\/\">rhhd.gov<\/a>\u202f|\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/henrico.gov\/health\">henrico.gov\/health<\/a>\u202f|\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RichmondHenricoHealthDistricts\">RHHD Facebook<\/a>\u202f| IG:\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/richmondcity_hd\">@richmondcity_hd<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 21, 2026 Media Contact: Bryan Hooten, bryan.hooten@vdh.virginia.gov Healthy and Safe Swimming Week is May 18-24 RICHMOND, Va. \u2014 As summer gets ready to start, Richmond and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":590,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pr"],"modified_by":"bryanhooten","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - 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