Sunday night, March 16, you’ll notice red in Minneapolis, on the Lowry Avenue bridge, the Interstate 35W bridge and Capella Tower. It’s your reminder that National Poison Prevention Week is March 16-22.
“When the unexpected happens we’re here for you,” said Mandy Slag, public educator for the Minnesota Regional Poison Center, which is behind the red lights meant to spread the word about its hotline for help: 1-800-222-1222.
“When I’m doing outreach, I recommend people put it directly into their phone,” said Slag.
“We are a 24-hour, seven days a week, 365 days a year call center staffed with pharmacists who address concerns for newborns to 90-year-olds,” said Samantha Lee, director of the Minnesota Regional Poison Center. Users can access an expert to find out if their child ate something poisonous, or if grandpa needs to go to the hospital for taking double his heart medicine or if the bleach that splashed into their eye while cleaning the bathroom is serious.
“For people in more than 90% of the cases, we’re able to help them safely manage care at home,” Lee explained. That means no trip to the ER, no hospital bill and no cost to the caller as help from the Poison Center is completely free. “In 2023 alone, 80% of callers said they would have gone to the ER if the Poison Center was not available,” Slag added.
Calls to the Poison Center hit a wide variety of concerns with experts guiding callers through care at home or, if they need to get checked out at the hospital, the pharmacist stays on the case to help doctors and support the caller.
“We cover a wide variety of situations like a child getting into grandma’s medication or a snake bite or mushroom ingestion.” Lee went on to explain how the situations are ever-changing. Currently, the legalization of cannabis has increased the number of calls about exposure, particularly in young children. “We’re getting more calls because cannabis can look like gummy bears, cookies and seltzer,” Lee added.
Social media has also posed new challenges for the Poison Center. A notable example surfaced at the end of 2021, with the “One Chip Challenge” which made several students at Edina Middle School sick. The challenge involved eating a single packaged tortilla chip made of some of the hottest peppers in existence, hot Carolina reaper peppers and Naga Viper peppers. Videos of people eating the chip were then shared on TikTok and YouTube.
“We’ve gotten calls because the spice level is so strong it can cause vomiting or for those with asthma it can trigger breathing issues,” Lee explained.
It turns out the most frequent callers to the Poison Center are caregivers of children under the age of 5 years old. For parents of toddlers and active children, the peace of mind is priceless and the value is proven. According to a white paper prepared for the American Association of Poison Control Centers, every $1 spent on the Poison Center’s services saves $13 in unnecessary medical costs and lost productivity.
At the end of the day, educators at the Minnesota Regional Poison Center say it’s an invaluable resource that is at your fingertips.
“We want people to know that the Poison Center is available anytime,” Lee explained. “It is free, confidential and no question is too small. We’re here to provide that ease of mind.”
To contact the Minnesota Regional Poison Center, call 1-800-222-1222. To learn more about the Poison Center’s services, go to: https://mnpoison.org/