PR2009 Jun U1

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Craig Threlkeld 205.391.5838

cthrelkeld@sheltonstate.edu                                                                                                                                                                

ALABAMA POISON CENTER RECEIVES REDESIGNATION

TUSCALOOSA ­– The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) has redesignated the Alabama Poison Center as an accredited poison control center – a major milestone for the center.

The redesignation by the AAPCC places the Alabama Poison Center among 58 accredited poison centers in the United States.

“Reaccreditation represents a major accomplishment. It means we have met the national standards of excellence for poison centers,” said John Fisher, director. “I’m incredibly proud of our high-quality staff, which works 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to calls and serve as a valuable resource for both health care providers and the public.”

The Alabama Poison Center has been providing life-saving poison information to families and health care professionals that it serves since its founding in 1982. The center received 40,000 calls in 2008, over 18,000 of which involved people exposed to poisons. This brings the total calls managed by the center to 727,680 since 1982; and 482,343 human exposure calls since 1985 when human calls began to be tracked separately from total calls.

The Alabama Poison Center receives calls every day from parents, grandparents, child care providers, teachers, health care providers, pharmacists, nurses and physicians in every area of practice regarding poisonings with medication, household and industrial products and other potentially dangerous substances.

To be accredited by the AAPCC, a center must meet a number of strict standards, including providing 24-hour poison information and telephone management to the public and health care professionals, employment of nurses and pharmacists certified as poison information specialists, a board-certified medical toxicologist to provide medical oversight and direction, an ongoing quality improvement program, written guidelines for evaluation and management of toxic exposures and public and professional education programs.

The center’s telephone number is 1-800-222-1222. Its website is www.alapoisoncenter.org

The American Association of Poison Control Centers is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1958. AAPCC represents the poison control centers of the United States and the interests of poison prevention and treatment of poisoning. For more information on the AAPCC, visit our website at www.aapcc.org