Texas Poison Control Network Celebrates 20 Years of Service

The Texas Poison Control Network is celebrating a milestone this year. It has been providing outstanding poison control services for the past 20 years and we could not be more proud!

In 1993 the Texas Legislature established the Texas Poison Control Network which formally began to provide services to the state on September 1, 1994.  Poison center services had previously been provided by individual poison control centers in Galveston and Dallas, while the county hospital’s inpatient pharmacy answered calls in El Paso. 

Establishment of the Texas Poison Control Network ensured that all Texans had access to the highest quality 24-hour toll-free telephone referral and information services. Thanks to these fantastic poison control centers, thousands of lives have been saved and millions of dollars in healthcare costs have been avoided in the process by eliminating unnecessary emergency room visits.

The Texas Poison Control Network is a vital resource to the community and we hope to see these centers provide excellent service to Texans for years to come. Here are some of the many things that poison control centers can help you with- just by dialing 1-800-222-1222!

• Drug Information and identification (adverse effects,  generic/brand name questions, dosing information, contraindications, drug-drug interactions, medication disposal, etc...)
• Environmental Information (carbon monoxide, general questions about soil or air contamination,  lead, mercury, mercury cleanup, chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear emergencies, etc...)
• Medical Information ( poison-related first aid and patient management recommendations, medical toxicology consultations, epidemiological data collection and surveillance, etc...)

• Poison Information (food poisoning, safe food handling practices, exposures or medication questions or concerns during pregnancy/breastfeeding, plant toxicity, animal bites and stings, safe use and storage of household and  personal hygiene products)
• Prevention/Safety Information (poison prevention questions, educational presentation requests for the public and healthcare professionals, media consultations, educational materials, pharmaceutical collection events and proper disposal information, etc...)

If you know someone who works for Poison Control, let them know their service is appreciated. Here is a list of the centers celebrating 20 years of excellence service to the State of Texas as the Texas Poison Control Network:

Central Texas PoisonCenter, Baylor Scott & White in Temple

North Texas Poison Center, Parkland Hospital in Dallas

Texas Panhandle PoisonCenter, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in  Amarillo

South Texas Poison Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in San Antonio

Southeast Texas Poison Center, University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston

West Texas Regional PoisonCenter, University Medical Center of El Paso in El Paso