Health department distributes lifejackets
Staff writer
City pools as well as other non-profit agencies in the county received or will soon receive a life-saving gift from Marion County Health Department. The health department received a $5,000 grant to purchase life jackets through the SAFEKIDS program.
Health department staff members Sondra Mayfield and Margo Kinman distributed 40 life jackets Monday to Hillsboro Municipal Pool. Hillsboro and other city pools in the county, including Marion, Florence, and Peabody, have been allocated life jackets for their swim classes as well as to have them available to lend to patrons.
"We wanted to make sure that every child in swim classes had a life jacket this year," Mayfield said. "Each city pool received the number of life jackets they needed."
Mayfield and Kinman distributed 10 infant-size life jackets; 12 30-50 pound weight life jackets; 12 50-90 pound weight life jackets; and six 90-and-over weight life jackets to Hillsboro.
They also will distribute life jackets to Prairie View for its summer camp.
"They didn't have any life jackets and had to borrow some," Mayfield said. "So, now they will have life jackets for their summer camp."
The health department also designated life jackets to the Boy Scouts of Marion, Headstart in Marion, Marion Reservoir, and the Marion County Lake which all were part of the original grant.
"I had heard when grandmothers would take their grandchildren to the lake they would let their grandchildren use their adult life jackets," Mayfield said. "Having a child wear those is not safe."
So the health department donated child-size life jackets to the lake and reservoir for patrons to use.
Mayfield said they received a "good deal on the life jackets and have extra funds left to order more life jackets."
"Any non-profit group wanting to have life jackets may call the health department," Mayfield said.
The health department number is (620) 382-2550.
Mayfield stressed that she will have to order the life jackets, and it may take up to two or three weeks for the order to come in.
Mayfield received a call from the pre-school therapeutic group needing life jackets. Mayfield took eight life jackets to them on Tuesday.
"We want all kids to be safe while swimming," Mayfield said. "Children cannot be safe in the water with a plastic ring or the water-wings. These are a false sense of security."
"The life jackets are proven to be safe and have been tested," she added.
