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Poison Control & Prevention

If you believe you or someone you know has been poisoned, call the Poison Control Hotline 1-800-222-1222

Children's Medical Services administers the statewide Poison Center's Information Network. This is a network of three nationally accredited centers located at Tampa General Hospital, the University of Florida - Jacksonville, and the University of Miami.

A call to the hotline automatically routes calls to the nearest center where information on the potential poisonings are provided. Poison prevention and management information is provided 24-hours a day through a toll-free number (1-800-222-1222). By law, this number is printed on the inside cover of every telephone directory in Florida.

Specially trained personnel at each center respond to emergency calls about poisonings, provide real-time data on poisons or teratagens, and provide educational information to professionals and communities throughout the state.

For more information on Poison Control Centers, visit the Florida Poison Information Center Network web site.

The Florida Poison Information Network saves $7.00 in health care expenditures for every $1.00 invested in the Poison Information System and ranks second only to childhood immunization programs in their ability to save health care dollars.

Services and General Information

Poison Centers are staffed by specialists in poison information who are physicians, registered nurses, certified physician assistants, and registered pharmacists.

The center staff provides Patient Care, Education, and Data Collection services. Approximately 80% of cases are resolved over the telephone while the victim remains at home, avoiding unnecessary medical care costs and treatment delays.

The Florida Poison Center Network has joined the other 64 centers in the US in a nationwide toll-free number (1-800-222-1222) funded by the Centers for Disease Control and the US Dept. of Health and Human Services.

For more information on potential poison risks and how to safeguard your home against dangerous poisons, visit Poison Prevention (link to poison prevention in child and family information section)