Drowning prevention and water safety at Dell Children's
Drowning is a public health crisis in Texas and across the country. As a children’s hospital that serves over 46 counties in Central Texas, doctors and care teams at Dell Children’s Medical Center treat many children who experience drowning. We strive to provide the most advanced and up-to-date care for those who have experienced a drowning event as well as work within our communities to prevent drowning from happening in the first place.
Our Drowning Prevention and Water Safety Program is a collaboration between pediatric injury prevention specialists and trauma researchers to improve water safety and address topics related to drowning and drowning risk.
Get involved
The Central Texas Drowning Prevention Action Team consists of stakeholders from across the community that work together to promote water safety. Since 2019, this group has coordinated efforts to reduce drownings in the Central Texas area through messaging, advocacy, and programming. Contributors include local nonprofits, city, state and county agencies, swim schools, pool service companies, and many more water safety champions.
If you are interested in being part of this ongoing work to prevent drownings in Texas, please consider joining the Central Texas Drowning Prevention Action Team. Email DCMCIP@ascension.org. for more information.
Water safety tips
The best way to prevent drowning is to use many layers of protection. Keep these water safety tips in mind at all times:
- Never leave children alone in a bathtub.
- Infant bath seats can tip over. Empty baths immediately after use.
- Install alarms on doors and windows that lead to pool areas.
- Empty buckets and things that may collect water outside.
- Empty kiddie pools immediately after use.
- Use pool alarms to alert others when someone is in danger.
- Gates leading to pools should be self-closing and self-latching.
- Pools are best protected by 4-sided, 4 foot tall fences. Spaces between bars on a fence must be less than 4 inches wide.
- Remove all pool toys from the water after swim time.
- Pool drains can be dangerous, teach your children to avoid them.
- U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets should be properly fitted and worn.
- Children should constantly be watched in and around water. Use touch supervision for infants and toddlers, meaning they should be no more than an arm’s length away when in water.
- Swim in areas with a lifeguard on duty.
- Read and obey all warning signs, especially around water.
More helpful resources
- Dell Children's Water Safety Tip Card (English/Spanish)
- Dell Children’s Water Safety for Kids with Autism Card (English/Spanish)
- Swimming safety tips
- Open water safety tips
- How to choose the right life jacket
- Water safety tips for children with autism
- Finding the right learn to swim program
- Find CPR classes in Austin
- Finding swimming lessons in the Greater Austin area
- Central Texas Life Jacket Stations
Drowning prevention and water safety research
Researchers at Dell Children’s are focusing on drowning prevention and water safety. Our studies address topics related to drowning and drowning risk. Learn more.