Alabama Poison Information Center Wraps Up National Poison Prevention Week
Published: March 22, 2024
When the unexpected happens, poison help is here for you 24/7. That’s the theme of the 2024 National Poison Prevention Week. National Poison Prevention Week ran just this past week. It’s a week dedicated to raising awareness about poisonings, prevention, and the free Poison Help Line.
The Alabama Poison Information Center (APIC) at Children’s of Alabama is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing life-saving information when people need it the most. The center opened in 1958 as the 14th poison center in the United States. In 2023, the APIC handled more than 107,000 calls, and the calls ranged from patients aged 24 hours old to 102 years old.
“National Poison Prevention Week is an important week that highlights the daily work we do to serve our communities and other healthcare professionals,” says Jessica Pescatore, clinical director at the Alabama Poison Information Center. “A poisoning can happen in a split second and can be a very overwhelming situation. Our mission is to provide the highest quality response, assessment, management, and follow-up to safeguard our fellow Alabamians.”
Experts at the poison center say prevention and education are vital to being prepared to know what to do when the unexpected happens.
Video courtesy Children’s of Alabama
Click here for Broll of the Alabama Poison Information Center:
Becky DeVore, a nurse educator with the Alabama Poison Information Center, discusses medication mix-ups, exposure to nicotine pouches and water beads risk: https://youtu.be/mgIA9k_TN1Y
If you have any questions about possible exposure or interaction with any poison, call the APIC at 800-222-1222. You can also download APIC’s free app, Poison Perils of Alabama. The app will help you identify potentially dangerous plants, snakes, insects and common household items.