Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin, Community Partners Dedicate Life Jacket Loaner Station
Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin and community partners dedicated a life jacket loaner station at Oconee River Greenway Park in Milledgeville on Wednesday to provide a lifesaving resource, just in time for summer.
Life jackets in various sizes, ranging from children to adults, plus ring buoys, will be available for the public to use for free.
The life jacket station is located just outside the picnic area and near the boat ramp at the park. After responding to multiple drownings at the park, Atrium Health Navicent EMS teammates started a conversation about making a difference, and offering life vests for park visitors. Through a community partnership, life jackets and ring buoys will be monitored for wear and tear, and replaced as needed. Community partners include Baldwin County, Baldwin County Fire Department, Baldwin County Coroner’s Office, City of Milledgeville, Milledgeville Police Department and Georgia Power.
“Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin is proud to be part of a solution to help prevent drownings and make it safer for park visitors to enjoy outdoor recreation,” said Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin Chief Operating Officer Thomas Goss. “We extend our thanks to the community partners who have come together to offer this new resource for park visitors.” Aside from learning how to swim, wearing a life jacket is one of the most effective ways to prevent drowning. Children and weaker swimmers should always wear life jackets in and around pools and other bodies of water. Everyone, including children and adults, should wear life jackets whenever they are in open water or on watercraft.
For those headed out to explore lakes and rivers this summer, here are a few other important water safety tips:
Practice life-saving skills: Adults and older children should know how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
Supervise children in water: When children are in or near water, they should always be supervised. Adults supervising should avoid distracting activities.
Avoid alcohol: Adults and teenagers should understand how using alcohol and drugs increases the risk of drowning while swimming or boating.
Make sure where you’re going is safe: Know the depth of the water and what’s on the bottom. If you dive into a river with rocks on the bottom, it could lead to spinal injuries, a concussion or broken bones. Keep in mind that rivers may have strong currents that aren’t visible from shore and rocks that could cause a swimmer’s foot to become trapped underwater.
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of health care in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and wellbeing through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated,nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 130-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Advocate Health is nationally recognized for its expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs more than 160,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to redefining care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.