BLACKMAN ELEMENTARY NURSE NEWS
SHELLY TILTON, RN
Important Poison Control Information to Keep Your Children SAFE!
The Local Poison Control Center is Located on Vanderbilt University Medical Center Campus
A medical telephone hotline (Poison Help 1-800-222-1222 ) for poison emergency and information calls. Poison specialists, who are registered nurses, pharmacists and physicians, answer the telephone hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These poison specialists give first aid treatment advice or hospital referral and answer poison questions. Two board certified toxicologists provide medical back-up 24/7. All Tennessee calls to the Poison Help hotline will be answered by the poison specialists at Tennessee Poison Center (TPC). Currently, our poison specialists answer approximately 200 calls each day and Tennessee Poison Center is the 6th busiest poison control center in the U.S.
Home Safety Resources
Most poisonings occur in the home. Parents, grandparents, and other caregivers need to remember that it can only take an instant for a poisoning to occur when children are able to reach household chemcials and medicines.
Here are some basic poison prevention tips:
Store Poisons Safely
- Store medicines and household products locked up, where children cannot see or reach them
- Store poisons in their original contaibers
- Use child-resisitant packaging. But remember - nothing is child-proof!
Use Poisons Safely
- Read the label. Follow the directions on medicines and products.
- Are children around? Take the product or medicxine with you to answer the door or the phone.
- Lock products and medicines up after using them.
- Is it medicine? Call it medicine, not candy.
- Children learn by imitation. Take your medicines where children can't watch.
Teach Children to Ask First
- Poisons can look like food or drink. Teach children to ask an adult before eating or drinking anything.
For more tips, log on to the website for the American Association of Poison Control Centers at http://aapcc.org/educatio.htm
frequently asked questions concerning accidental poisonings
- What's the purpose of a poison center?
Tennessee Poison Center saves lives and saves money. We save lives by providing emergency treatment advice to everyone in Tennessee. We answer calls from a parent whose toddler drank a household cleaner, from an emergency physician who calls for treatment advice for an overdose patient and to everyone who might have a poison emergency or information call. Tennessee Poison Center saves money by managing 70% of its cases at home, rather than in an emergency room or physician's office. For every $1 that is spent on a call to Tennessee Poison Center, $13 is saved in other medical care spending.
- Is there more than one Poison Center in Tennessee?
No. Tennessee Poison Center, located in Nashville, is the only poison center in the state. Tennessee Poison Center is certified as the statewide poison control center by the Tennessee Department of Health.
- Does Tennessee Poison Center offer materials in any language other than English? Yes. Tennessee Poison Center has poison prevention materials available in several languages. Follow the link on this website or call 1-615-936-0760 for additional information.
- Can I call Tennessee Poison Center if I just have a question, not a poison emergency?
Yes! Tennessee Poison Center handles thousands of poison information calls each year.
- What does a person look like when he/she is poisoned?
A poison victim may not look or act sick. If you think someone has been poisoned, call Tennessee Poison Center (1-800-222-1222). Never wait to see if there are symptoms.
- What is the most common poison?
There is not one poison that is the most common. In 2014, the most common substances for Tennessee Poison Center were:
Analgesics (Pain Relievers)
Household Cleaning Products
Cosmetics/Personal Care Products
Sedative/hypnotics/antipsychotics
Antihistamines
Cardiovascular Drugs
Antidepressants
Foreign bodies/Toys/Miscellaneous
Pesticides
Topical Preparations