Meeting with Dr. Ben Hoffman from the American Academy of Pediatrics

Meow Meow Foundation principals Doug Forbes and Elena Matyas recently met with pediatrician and AAP spokesperson Dr. Ben Hoffman to discuss potential development of a drowning prevention task force and related podcast series.

Hoffman is a leading voice on child injury prevention who often speaks on regional and national television about topics such as the perennial enigma of preventable childhood drowning. He recently filmed a segment with Olympian Bode Miller and his wife Morgan, a professional volleyball player, whose daughter drowned in a backyard pool 18 months ago.

Forbes and Matyas proposed the assembly of both social scientists and medical professionals in an ongoing roundtable to address why 9 of 10 childhood drownings occur with adults present and how to more effectively influence behavioral change, similar to seat belt and car seat laws.

The 5,000-member AAP of California recently endorsed MMF’s camp safety bill SB 217 (The Roxie Rules Act) which demanded licensing and oversight of thousands of camps tending to millions of children. Although MMF has withdrawn the bill due to inadequate legislative demands, the foundation is in the process of pursuing a new course of action to change regulations county-by-county.

Hoffman, Forbes and Matyas will reconvene in the coming months with additional AAP representatives to craft the campaign.