Funding cut imperils poison control centers

On behalf of the New Jersey Poison Information Education Systems (NJPIES) Education Department, I would like to thank you for your commitment to preventing poisonings in your families and communities across the state by utilizing our services. It has been a pleasure to serve the residents of New Jersey for over 24 years.

During 2006, we have received thousands of requests for poison prevention materials and programs from agencies and communities throughout the state.

In addition to educational resources, NJPIES continues to provide extraordinary service to persons calling the state helpline.

Unfortunately, there has been a recent threat to the funding of Poison Control Centers across the country. The President's budget request calls for a drastic reduction of over 11 million dollars in poison control center program funding for FFY08.

Since poisoning is the third most common form of unintentional death in the United States, reducing program funding will be an injustice to the health care of our nation. In any given year, there are between 2 million and 4 million poison exposures, and more than 50 percent of these exposures involve children under the age of 6 who are exposed to toxic substances in their home.

Nationally, poisoning accounts for 285,000 hospitalizations, 1,200,000 days of acute hospital care, and 13,000 fatalities annually.

Cuts in funding would weaken our poison control center's ability to respond effectively against injury and deaths from poisonings.

Poison Control Centers have been shown to reduce the cost of health care by preventing unnecessary emergency room visits and hospital transports. In fact, Poison Control Centers treat 80 percent of poisonings without a hospitalization.

I am concerned that the proposed funding reductions will have a disastrous effect on our nation's emergency response capabilities since Poison Control Centers are our nation's primary defense against injury and deaths from poisoning.

I ask that you help support our nation's poison control centers by contacting Secretary Leavitt of the Department of Health and Human Services to respectfully request fully funding America's poison control centers. He may be contacted at his office, (202) 690-7000, or e-mail to: ML.50@hhs.gov.

Only through a concerted effort shall we succeed in reinstating our funding.

Alicia Gambino

Director

Public Education Department

New Jersey Poison Information Education Systems

Newark