Murray, Burr Introduce Bill to Strengthen and Support the Poison Control Centers Network
Bill strengthens program that helps families get emergency help and safety information
Poisonings in the United States cause nearly 700,000 emergency room visits and more than 35,000 deaths per year
Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), introduced the Poison Control Center Network Enhancement Act of 2019, bipartisan legislation to continue and strengthen the Poison Control Centers (PCC) Network program. The legislation reauthorizes the PCC Network program through 2024 and modernizes the PCC Network to reflect new communications capabilities and update existing authorities.
“The Poison Control Centers Network is literally a lifeline for the tens of thousands of patients, families, and health providers who turn to it each year seeking emergency help. This bill means parents and others can breathe a sigh of relief knowing support is available when they’re worried about a poisoning or toxic exposure,” Senator Murray said. “I’m glad we could come together around a bipartisan reauthorization of this important program and I’m going to continue working to get this bill signed into law.”
“As any parent with young children can tell you, poison control is often the first number you call when a curious toddler or pet may have consumed something dangerous,” said Senator Burr. “That is why I am proud to introduce the Poison Control Center Network Enhancement Act with my colleague, Senator Murray, which makes our poison centers stronger and ensures these centers have the tools they need to educate Americans on ways to prevent and treat toxic exposures and poisonings, saving lives and protecting families for years to come.”
The PCC Network program runs the Poison Control National Toll-Free hotline and 55 poison control centers nationwide—medical support facilities staffed by toxicologists, nurses, and other professionals operating 24 hours a day seven days a week.
The toll-free nationwide poison-control hotline number is 1-800-222-1222.
Fact sheet about the Poison Control Center Network Enhancement Act of 2019 below, and PDF available HERE.
Poison Control Center Network Enhancement Act of 2019
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)
Poisonings in the United States cause nearly 700,000 emergency room visits and more than 35,000 deaths per year. Poison Control Centers (PCC) operate a hotline through which toxicologists and other health professionals provide information to help individuals prevent or respond to toxic exposures and poisonings when they occur. The PCC Network currently includes 55 PCCs across the United States (as seen in the map below) that are supported by a combination of public and private funding.
The Poison Control Center Network Enhancement Act of 2019 reauthorizes the PCC Network program, including the Poison Control National Toll-Free phone number and other communications capabilities, through 2024. This legislation strengthens and supports the valuable role that PCCs play in communities across the country by modernizing the PCC Network program to reflect new communications capabilities and update existing authorities.
The Poison Control Center Network Enhancement Act of 2019:
- Updates communications capabilities for PCCs by authorizing the establishment and maintenance of other methods of communication technologies (such as text messaging) to access PCC services.
- Directs the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to work with the Federal Communications Commission to ensure that communications are routed to the appropriate PCC by physical location of the individuals making contact, rather than the area code of their device.
- Aligns the health promotion activities of PCCs to reflect their current activities, including toxic exposure prevention, poison prevention, assistance during applicable public health emergencies, and outreach to health care providers.
- Strengthens accountability for grantees and HHS by requiring a report to Congress every two years on the volume of contacts received by PCCs, a description of the types of poisonings and toxic exposures that PCCs are addressing, and an assessment of PCCs’ public awareness campaigns.
