ATLANTA, May 12, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sharecare, a comprehensive digital health and wellness engagement platform, and the American Red Cross are teaming up to host a Twitter chat on how to keep you and your family safe and healthy this summer on Thursday, May 14, from 12 to 3 p.m. EDT. Using the hashtag #SafeSummer, the chat will provide advice on water safety; skin protection; dehydration, heat stroke and heat safety; allergies and pest dangers; eye and sports safety; first aid and CPR; food poisoning and more.
“The #SafeSummer Twitter chat gives people instant access to expert advice on several safety topics,” said Carrie Housman, spokesperson for the Red Cross. “Participants can then use the guidance to help keep themselves and their loved ones safe this summer.”
While the summer should be a time for fun, vacation and rest, the warm weather and sunny skies also carry some health and safety hazards. For example, dehydration and heatstroke events occur most commonly in the summer, especially with children playing outside more often. In addition, over 60% of drowning deaths occur between the months of May and August. Also, food-borne illnesses are more common in summer, due to higher temperatures and people eating outside more frequently. Mosquitos, a common summer pest, can carry West Nile virus and other diseases. Every July 4th holiday, fireworks cause over 9,000 injuries, including blindness and death. And lastly, even one bad sunburn, while annoying and uncomfortable, can turn into skin cancer and melanoma later in life.
The #SafeSummer Twitter Chat will highlight these summer-specific dangers, as well as provide education, tips and advice for how to avoid or deal with these issues.
What: #SafeSummer Twitter Chat
When: Thursday, May 14, 12-3 p.m. EDT
Who: Hosted by @SharecareInc and @RedCross, featuring experts from:
- American Red Cross, @RedCross
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, @eatright
- American Chiropractic Association, @ACAtoday
- Dole Nutrition Institute, @DoleTweets
- HealthCorps, @HealthCorps
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), @CDCGov
- CDC Travel Health, @CDCtravel
- CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, @CDC_NCEZID
- CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, @CDC_Cancer
- CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, @NIOSH
- HealthyWomen.org, @HealthyWomen
- LIVESTRONG, @livestrong
- dLife, @dLife
- Sunrise Children’s Hospital, @SunriseHosp
- Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, @RMHCFamily
- Johns Hopkins Medicine, @HopkinsMedicine
- UCLA Health, @UCLAHealth
- Baptist Health South Florida, @BaptistHealthSF
- West Hills Hospital & Medical Center, @WHHospital
- Members of Sharecare's Advisory Board
How to Participate:
Submit your questions and comments on Twitter using the hashtag #SafeSummer through 3 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 14. If you don't have a Twitter account, you can post questions to Sharecare’s Facebook page, as well as follow the live chat on Sharecare.
About Sharecare
Sharecare is a health and wellness engagement platform that provides people with personalized resources to help them live their healthiest lives. Nearly 40 million people have shared more than 5 billion data points about their health status and habits with Sharecare, which uses that information to create a comprehensive health profile allowing users to access all of their health resources in one place, and dynamically connect to the knowledge, evidence-based programs and health professionals they need. Created by Jeff Arnold and Dr. Mehmet Oz in 2010, Sharecare’s predictive and personalized platform is accessed daily by millions of consumers, including viewers of The Dr. Oz Show, patient populations of the country’s leading hospital systems and every Soldier in the United States Army.
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