UMC poison center provides low cost medical treatment

A study done at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy showed the poison center was substantially more cost effective in the treatment of poison exposures than in places where there was no access to a center.

There are two poison centers in Arizona, one in Phoenix and the other at University Medical Center.

Madeline Denes, administrative secretary at the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, said 51 percent of the calls received are emergency calls.

Of that 51 percent, about half were able to be treated at the sight where they occurred, Denes said. Calls treated on site did not require professional medical treatment.

The research revealed the average cost for patients treated through a poison center was less than half of those treated without the services of a center.

"The poison center keeps Arizonans' money in their pockets because the center can often times remedy the situation without having to refer them to a medical institution," she said.

Ted Tong, director of the poison center at UMC, said the center's funding comes from the Arizona Department of Health Services. The annual budget for the center is $750,000.

The Tucson center offers free services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Pharmacists specially trained in the field of poisons and toxins handle the emergency calls, Tong said.

"The center provides good care for Arizonans in a much less expensive manner," Tong said.

The center provides information on household chemicals and solutions, as well as acts as a preventive resource for pregnant women, who are often more sensitive to common toxins, Denes said.

Forty-nine percent of the calls received by the poison centers in Arizona are considered question or preventative calls she said.

Helen Gaus, secretary at the Campus Health Center, said she called the center for preventive information because she has a young child at home.

"The information was very complete and covered lots of areas," she said.

Lt. Col. Donald Harrison, who oversees clinical investigations for the Army and began the initial research on the poison center as a doctoral student in 1995, said, "It's a rare event when something is less costly and more effective. With the poison center you don't pay more to get a better outcome."

The poison center can be reached at 626-6016 in the Tucson area. Outside of Tucson, the center can be reached at 1-800-362-0101.