NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., June 22, 2015 --- Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian announced today the launch of
Project Wipeout’s new video series. The visual clips will serve
as the newest ocean safety educational tool for the community and local
lifeguard agencies.
Project Wipeout was established to teach young people about the potential
dangers that exist at the beach and other open bodies of water, the types
of injuries that occur and how to prevent them. The videos range from
“Learning to Swim” to “Avoiding Spinal Cord Injuries”
and include tips for beginning and expert swimmers alike. With testimonials
from local lifeguards and first responders, physicians who specialize
in spine and neurological injuries, and a body surfer who suffered a severe
spinal cord injury and has gone on to become a water safety advocate,,
these 16 short clips deliver a powerful message for educating the community
before hitting the waves.
“Our aim is to help people from getting into trouble in the first
place,” said Linda Reuter, Program Director of Project Wipeout.
“Today, we have reached millions.”
During the summer of 1979, Hoag’s intensive care unit admitted five
young people with severe neck and spinal cord injuries suffered at local
beaches. This tragic summer was the inspiration for Project Wipeout. Developed
by a concerned group of Hoag physicians, nurses, local paramedics and
lifeguards, the program has reached millions over the last 35 years through
community events, school presentations and collaborative efforts with
lifeguard agencies and other injury prevention organizations.
“I have talked with so many people who have suffered neck injuries
from running into the water and striking shallow sand bars,” said
Dr. Jack Skinner, M.D., creator of Project Wipeout. “So many of
them were in excellent health, and then a moment later, they were in the
ICU fighting for their lives. I knew we had to get the message out.”
Project Wipeout will be hosting its annual conference this year on Wednesday,
July 8 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Hoag Hospital Conference Center
in Newport Beach. The educational event is open to first responders from
across Orange County including lifeguards, fire and police personnel.
This year’s conference will showcase the newly released Project
Wipeout videos, as well as speakers from the Los Angeles County Lifeguards
and Scott Underhill, a local lifeguard who was rescued in the same spot
where just minutes before Newport Beach lifeguard Ben Carlson lost his
life while trying to rescue a swimmer. For more information about the
conference, please contact Linda Reuter at 714-321-5503.
ABOUT HOAG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PRESBYTERIAN
Hoag is an approximately $1 billion nonprofit, regional health care delivery
network in Orange County, California, that treats more than 25,000 inpatients
and 369,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals,
six health centers, and eight urgent care centers. Hoag Hospital Newport
Beach, which has served Orange County since 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine,
which opened in 2010, are designated Magnet hospitals by the American
Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive blend
of health care services that includes five institutes providing specialized
services in the following areas:
cancer,
heart and vascular,
neurosciences,
women’s health, and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate,
Hoag Orthopedic Institute. In 2013, Hoag entered into an alliance with St. Joseph Health to further
expand health care services in the Orange County community, known as St.
Joseph Hoag Health. Hoag has been named one of the Best Regional Hospitals
in the U.S. News & World Report Metro Edition. National Research Corporation
has endorsed Hoag as Orange County’s most preferred hospital for
the past 19 consecutive years and, for an unprecedented 19 years, residents
of Orange County have chosen Hoag as one of the county’s best hospitals
in a local newspaper survey. Visit
www.hoag.org for more information.