[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/gBla1qwgx1s”] [su_expand more_text=”Show More”] Since 1970, the Georgia Poison Center (GPC) has operated the 24-hour poison emergency treatment information service, providing assistance and expertise in the medical diagnosis and management of human and animal poisonings. The GPC was designated the official State poison control center in 1976, when the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR) secured its non-profit funding. The GPC has evolved into one of the busiest and most up-to-date front-line response, toxicology information centers in the country. A leader in poison prevention activities, the GPC is one of the 55 centers nationwide. The center is the only one in Georgia and is certified and accredited as a Regional Poison Center by the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC). The GPC is housed at the Grady Health System and operates under the supervision of the Department of Pediatrics of Emory University School of Medicine.  The center provides free, timely advice and information to anyone including parents, childcare providers, pharmacists, nurses, and doctors and plays a significant role in reducing the cost of treatment and the severity of poisonings where time is of the essence.  The GPC is staffed with a dedicated group of highly trained professionals including physicians, toxicologists, registered nurses, registered pharmacists, health educators and computer specialists.

Mission and Goal The GPC is committed to providing high quality poison control center services to health care professionals and residents, in an effort to reduce the incidence and impact of poisoning in Georgia. It is our goal to ensure the provision of prompt and accurate poison information to those who utilize our service; to ensure the education of residents of Georgia in the areas of poison prevention; to ensure the education of health care professionals in the areas of clinical toxicology, poisoning epidemiology, poison prevention, toxicology diagnosis and care; to ensure stable and continuous delivery of quality poison control center services to Georgians. Each year the GPC provides services to thousands of Georgians; these services include:

• Rabies treatment information service
• Professional education
• Research and data collection
• Public education
• Poison emergency telephone service

The GPC receives a variety of poisoning-related calls which include:

• Ingestions of poisonous substances
• Drug overdoses
• Chemical exposures at work
• Pet poisonings
• Plant poisonings
• Food poisonings
• Animal, snake and spider bites

When a call is received, the SPI gathers information from the caller about the poisoning and the victim. They use this information to assess the severity of the exposure and to provide treatment recommendations.  If necessary, the patient will be referred to a health care facility. Each case is monitored through a system of follow-up calls to assess the patient’s progress and to provide additional treatment recommendations if necessary.  SPIs also provide poison prevention information to reduce the likelihood of future exposures. When you call the GPC in a poisoning emergency, you will be asked to give: 

• Your name, phone number, county, and zip code
• The patient’s name, age and weight
• The name of the substance or potential poison
• The amount of the substance or potential poison
• The time the potential poisoning took place
• Any symptoms the patient has
• Any current health problems the patient has
• Any medicines the patient is currently taking
• If possible, take the potential poison or the container to the phone with you. You may be asked to describe the potential poison or give information from any labels on the container.

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