Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a proclamation to kick off National Poison Prevention Week. The Poison Center at the University of Kansas Health System and Safe Kids Kansas want to remind Kansans that Poison Centers are ready 24/7 with fast, free advice.
The theme for this year’s National Poison Prevention Week is Poison Centers – When Poison happens, we’re here for you.
Not everyone realizes that Poison Centers are for everyone. While poison centers get more calls about children, calls about teens, adults and older adults tend to be more serious. Over half of the calls to the Kansas Poison Center in 2022 involved medicines or pharmaceuticals. However, other common poisons include household products, plants, mushrooms, pesticides, animal bites and stings, carbon monoxide, and many other nonpharmaceutical substances.
“The best piece of advice we can give is to program the Poison Help number, 800-222-1222, in your phone and post it visibly in your home. This way you are prepared in the event of a poisoning emergency or simply have questions,” said Stefanie Baines, education coordinator for the Kansas Poison Control Center.
Here are the ways Poison Centers save time, worry, lives and money:
Time
When seconds count, calling a poison center is faster and more accurate than a confusing internet search.
Worry
Nurses, pharmacists and doctors answer calls. We can help in more than 150 languages. Doctors and hospitals turn to us for help every day.
Lives
Whether it is a question or an emergency, Poison Centers provide life-saving information when you need it the most.
Money
All calls are free. More than 70 percent of people who call get the help they need right where they are – saving the cost of a trip to the doctor or hospital.
“It is also important to know Poison Centers are not just for emergencies. You can call anytime from anywhere in the nation for information or advice from local experts,” said Cherie Sage, state coordinator for Safe Kids Kansas.
If you think someone has been poisoned, call 800-222-1222 right away. Fast and free expert help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
For more information about preventing accidental poisoning visit kansashealthsystem.com/poison and safekidskansas.org/poison_prevention.htm.