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SOURCE: AAPCC
National Poison Prevention Week Observed March 17 Through 23, 2013
ALEXANDRIA, VA (PRWEB) March 15, 2013
The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) will join local poison centers and poison prevention partners across the country in celebrating National Poison Prevention Week March 17 through 23, 2013, according to AAPCC President Marsha Ford, MD, FACMT, FACEP.
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. This year’s observance will focus on several poison-prevention-related themes:
- Monday, March 18 – Children Act Fast … So Do Poisons
- Tuesday, March 19 – Poison Centers: Protecting Health While Saving You Time and Money
- Wednesday, March 20 – Poisonings Span a Lifetime
- Thursday, March 21 – Home Safe Home
- Friday, March 22 – Spotlight on Prescription Painkillers
“Poisoning can happen anywhere to anyone,” Ford said. “The experts at America’s poison centers work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help those who have been exposed to a poison or to answer questions about potential poisonings. We are pleased to be joining our poison prevention partners this week in highlighting ways to prevent poison exposures.”
In 2011, U.S. poison centers answered more than 3.6 million calls, including about 2.3 million calls about human exposures to poisons. About 90 percent of the people who called with poison emergencies were treated at home following the advice of poison center experts, saving an estimated $1.19 billion in medical expenses.
“America’s 57 poison centers are committed to safeguarding the health and well-being of every American through poison prevention and free, confidential, expert medical services and advice,” said AAPCC Executive Director Debbie Carr, MEd. “If the unthinkable happens, it’s good to know help is just a phone call away. Program your cell phone with the Poison Help number and post it near your home phone. 1-800-222-1222.”
For more information, contact Loreeta Canton, director of public relations and member services for the American Association of Poison Control Centers, at 703.894.1858 or canton(at)aapcc(dot)org or visit http://www.aapcc.org.
About the American Association of Poison Control Centers:
The AAPCC supports the nation’s 57 poison centers in their efforts to treat and prevent drug, consumer product, animal, environmental and food poisoning. Members staff the Poison Help hotline at 1-800-222-1222 that provides free, confidential, expert medical advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year from toxicology specialists, including nurses, pharmacists, physicians and poison information providers. In addition, the AAPCC maintains the only poison information and surveillance database in the United States, providing real-time monitoring of unusual poisoning patterns, chemical exposures and other emerging public health hazards. The AAPCC partners with federal agencies such as EPA, HRSA and the CDC, as well as private industry.
To learn more, visit http://www.aapcc.org, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or read our blog at aapcc.wordpress.com. To join your voice with other poison center supporters, register for the AAPCC advocacy network at http://www.capwiz.com/aapcc – click on “Action E-List.”
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