As summer begins and pools reopen across the country, Black communities face a heightened risk of drowning—just as federal support for prevention is being dismantled. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has nearly shuttered its Injury Prevention Center, a team that tracked drowning deaths and supported local safety efforts. The cuts come amid a broader downsizing of government under President Donald Trump.
The impact is stark. Black adolescents are three times more likely to drown than their white peers. In swimming pools, Black children ages 10 to 14 drown at 7.6 times the rate of white children. Only 37% of Black Americans have taken swimming lessons, and nearly 40% say they don’t know how to swim.
“This team has been crucial in preventing drownings, especially in Black and minority communities who have long faced disproportionate rates of drowning,” said Sharon Gilmartin, executive director of Safe States Alliance. She warned that eliminating the team “closed deadly gaps” that had been saving lives.
A CDC study released in May found that simple measures—like fencing and life jackets—could save hundreds of lives annually. But with the team gone, experts fear “deadly blind spots” in safety strategies. “That’s really unfortunate, because those kids need swim lessons,” said one CDC scientist.
Local officials, like those in Chicago, relied on CDC data to target interventions. Without it, said Amy Hill of the city’s water safety task force, “it’s harder to reach the right people.”
See “Shrinking Lifesaver: CDC Cuts Team Helping End Black Drownings” (May 30, 2025)
