HAMPTON, Va. — The Virginia Department of Health is giving you an opportunity to learn CPR. VDH's Hampton and Peninsula Health District is holding training across the peninsula throughout August in response to summer drownings.
As of July 21, 10 kids under the age of five had drowned in swimming pools in Virginia. That’s according to a news release from the health district.
Watch: Heart experts urge families to learn CPR for summer safety
On August 3, News 3 introduced you to a Chesapeake family that nearly became part of that statistic when a two-year-old was found unconscious in a pool — CPR helped save him.
Through August 26, the health district is offering four free CPR and AED training classes. Each class lasts about an hour with a 20-minute lecture and 40 minutes of hands-on practice.
Watch: Chesapeake family pushes water safety after toddler nearly drowns
The health district is working with a physician-led nonprofit and the Peninsula Medical Reserve Corps for the training.
According to the health district’s director, Virginia has seen a spike in child drowning deaths over the summer.
“We’ve certainly had some people who are taking this class as a refresher, but more than anything, we’re seeing people who have never had any CPR class or familiarity with CPR in the past. So that is a really big eye-opener for us because it’s telling us that this education is strongly needed in our community," VDH Hampton and Peninsula Health District Population Health Manager Tes La Dieu.
For swim safety information, click here.
