Since 1962, the President of the United States has proclaimed the third week of March as National Poison Prevention Week to raise awareness about the dangers of poisonings and how to prevent them.

According to the CDC, poisoning is the No. 1 cause of injury death in the U.S. with most deaths due to drug and medicine misuse and abuse. More than 3.1 million calls were received by poison centers last year and the Wyoming Poison Center managed nearly 6,000 of those calls.

Anyone Can Call.  Approximately half of those calls involved children under the age of six but the majority of deaths and serious cases occurred in teens and adults involving medications. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, poisoning causes 35,000 deaths each year. Drug related poisonings result in nearly 700,000 emergency room trips each year.

Call Anytime.  Poison centers are open 24/7/365.  The calls are managed by health professionals, including registered nurses, pharmacists and physicians.  These health professionals all have special training in poison management. A majority of the calls to poison centers can be managed at home and will save money and time by avoiding unnecessary emergency department visits.

 

Anywhere in the country when people call 1-800-222-1222, they are connected immediately to their poison center. This number should be programmed in all phones and posted in homes, schools and businesses.

 

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