Recompression Chamber Assistance

DAN's Recompression Chamber Assistance Program provides training and financial support to recompression chambers throughout the Caribbean and other popular dive destinations to make sure they remain in operation and are properly staffed. This program complements DAN's semiannual dive medicine courses for physicians, nurses, and paramedics to educate the international medical community on the proper care and treatment of injured divers.

DAN's Recompression Chamber Assistance Program:

• fosters the highest standards of treatment for injured divers;
• conducts research leading to a greater understanding of the causes, treatments, and prevention of diving accidents; and
• educates the dive instructor and medical professional community.

This year DAN will spend more than $14,000 placing modern, up-to-date patient monitors at chambers that do not have them or need a system upgrade. Since the program began in 1993, DAN has spent more than $100,000 on chamber assistance. By sharing the cost of each monitor -- this is a dollar for dollar matching program -- DAN can serve more of the diving public. So far, the SSS chamber in Cozumel, Mexico and the chamber on Grand Cayman Island have received new patient monitors. Four others, including the Pacific Grove unit in California, which is staffed primarily by volunteers, have expressed interest in the monitors.

As part of this program, DAN staff members also visit and inspect working recompression chambers to make sure they remain current with safety standards and equipment. This year an inspector will inspect the San Andres chamber in Columbia. Saba in the Netherlands, Antillies has also requested a chamber inspection. This chamber is functioning, but there has been no inspection since the hurricane last year.

Make a tax-deductible gift to DAN, or call DAN's Office of Development at +1-919-684-2948.