Wisconsin Poison Center receives full certification

The Wisconsin Poison Center has received full certification by the American Association of Poison Control Centers. The association is the nationwide organization that sets standards and collects exposure data for poison centers across the country. The Poison Center, a program of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, provides advice to individuals in all age groups about exposures to medications, illegal drugs, household chemicals, botanicals, animal and insect envenomation, food poisoning, occupational chemicals, environmental pollutants and other hazardous substances.

The process of obtaining certification status has taken several years. It required building an independent center within Children's Hospital and recruiting and developing staff to answer calls 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Criteria for center certification designates only registered nurses, licensed pharmacists and other top-level healthcare professionals as certified poison information specialists. In addition, medical leadership must be provided by board-certified toxicologists, and the center must meet rigorous standards of quality before it is considered for national certification.

"This national certification now is considered the standard of care for poison centers," said David Gummin, MD, medical director of the Poison Center. "Achieving this national recognition is a tribute to the diligent efforts of members of the center and our supporters at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. It is a credit to the commitment they have for the people of Wisconsin. It means we will be able to continue to provide the highest quality life-saving services to all residents of Wisconsin 24 hours per day, seven days per week."

Since 2001, the Poison Center has been the only hotline and service in Wisconsin for questions and concerns related to poisonings. This new certification makes the Poison Center the first in Wisconsin history to become nationally certified. Staffed by certified poison information specialists, and backed by a board-certified medical director and three toxicologists, the center logged 64,836 calls in 2004. It is estimated that 10.3 million dollars is saved annually by these interventional services that, in many cases, prevent the need for emergency care and hospitalization.

The majority of individuals who have experienced a poison exposure are children. More than 60 percent of the exposure cases recorded in Wisconsin occur in children 6 years of age and younger, with the 1 to 2 year age group seeing the greatest frequency. However, behaviors of teens and adults also result in risk of exposure. For more information about poison education and resources, visit the Web site at http://www.wisconsinpoison.org. Or, for 24-hour poison help call 1-800-222-1222.