SUN JOURNAL • June 12, 2025
Maine is an occupational and recreational water state — ocean, beaches, lakes, ponds and rivers. Right as our swimming season starts, the Trump administration laid off the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff responsible for tracking and publishing information on drownings. Without the work of the CDC staff, patterns in drowning deaths will not be found and shared. I’m a former Red Cross-trained lifeguard and water safety instructor. I also have young grandchildren. This program matters to me and millions of other Americans. I thought we were a nation with common sense. ~ Ronald Bailyn, Cape Elizabeth