Washington Poison Center

EMS / 911

Frequently Asked Questions
Working Together
Poison Center / EMS Facts
Abstracts

Frequently Asked Questions

1) What are your sources for information?
In addition to our electronic databases of over a million medications, substances, and chemicals, the Washington Poison Center maintains a collection of texts with topics including marine toxins, food additives, and workplace safety/standards.

2) Who answers my calls?
The Washington Poison Center is staffed by registered pharmacists, nurses, and other health care professionals, all of whom are supported around the clock by physician toxicologists.

3) Where are you located? What region do you cover?
The Washington Poison Center is located in north Seattle, in the Northgate neighborhood. Our call center currently serves all of Washington state.

4) How many calls per day do you handle?
On average, 500 calls are handled per day by call center staff, 250-300 of those are new exposures or requests for information.

5) Am I allowed to divulge patient information to WAPC staff?
Information shared with a Poison Center, in our consultative role, is allowed per HIPAA guidelines. Click here for a copy of a letter from the Washington State Department of Health explaining the matter.

6) How is the information you gather used?
Information gathered by the Washington Poison Center is used in several different ways. Case information, without patient identifiers, is consolidated from all 61 poison centers and screened by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on a real-time basis as one of many tools to catch outbreaks based on symptoms or exposures. The American Associate of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) gathers data that can be utilized to help determine trends and develop future evidence-based guidelines.

7) May I visit the Washington Poison Center?
We encourage you to! Either call or fill out our online form requesting a professions tour or visit to set up an opportunity for an individual or group to visit us.

Working Together

How the Washington Poison Center can help you:

Assistance with determining whether a response is warranted
Assistance with determining whether ALS or BLS is required
Assistance with providing pre-arrival instructions to patients
Provision of treatment recommendations to the responding agency
Follow-up calls with the patient or caller as needed
Identifying medications (pill identification) for EMS and law enforcement

How a 911 dispatcher can help the Washington Poison Center:

Let us know you’re there – alerting us to your presence on the line at the outset of the call allows us to handle your call with the highest priority. We can tailor the information to your needs in terms of whether a response is needed, and if so whether to send ALS or BLS in some instances. The basic information our staff need is:
- The agency calling
- Whether you’re responding a unit already or waiting for us to help with that decision
- The “seven-digit” number to your agency

How an EMT or paramedic can help the Washington Poison Center:

Give a brief history if you’re on scene, or what scenario you’ve been given if you’re en route to the call
Let us know what you’re looking for – treatment recommendations? Help deciding whether
ALS is needed? Or whether transport is even necessary!
Often times, patient age, weight, basic health status, and any symptoms present are necessary for us to help determine an appropriate course of therapy
Allow us to follow up with you after the call, or you can contact us at your convenience with any pertinent information regarding the transport, symptoms experienced by patient, and/or treatment rendered by you. This feedback allows us to monitor the effectiveness of our guidelines and occasionally make adjustments if necessary.

Poison Center / EMS Facts

The Washington Poison Center (WAPC) is available 24 hours for emergency and non-emergency telephone consultation regarding the entire spectrum of poisons and drugs – from the latest information on new prescription and non-prescription medications to the most current management of toxic substance exposures. Using specialized electronic and text references, along with physician-reviewed treatment guidelines, WAPC specialists are able to offer assistance with a wide variety of information and exposure calls.
87% of poison exposure calls received by the Washington Poison Center are safely managed over the phone at home or on site, with evaluation, instructions, and follow-up calls by staff – reducing the number of unnecessary and potentially costly aid dispatches, transports, and emergency department visits. CDC studies show that every dollar spent on a poison center saves seven dollars in overall health care costs.
WPC can assist 911 center personnel with (a) decisions to send aid versus home management – based on substance involved, nature of exposure, and dispatch center guidelines (b) decisions regarding which level of care (ALS/BLS) may be indicated, (c) specific instructions and guidance to the caller until arrival of EMS. Note: All communications between EMS providers, 911 professionals, and poison centers are protected under current HIPAA guidelines.
The Poison Center is integrated in to the state’s regional hospital emergency preparedness plan relating to chemical and biological terrorism. WAPC maintains a satellite phone, 800 MHz radio, and UHF/VHF amateur radio equipment for communicating statewide with hospitals, health departments, and county emergency operations centers (EOCs) should telephones either fail or become unavailable.
Special unlisted back line access to WAPC is available exclusively for 911 centers, Fire/EMS providers, and law enforcement: Call 1-800-222-1222 and ask for the backline (we do not publicize it on our website). The current number to be given out to the public is 1-800-222-1222. Calls are answered immediately by certified Poison Information Specialists who are registered nurses, pharmacists, and other health care professionals – supported at all times by a physician toxicologist.
“Toxicosurveillance” is ongoing 24 hours. Data from poison exposures (substances, symptoms, etc – without patient identifiers) is transmitted in real time to the CDC for identification of clusters, outbreaks, or possible chemical or bio-terrorism events. All 63 poison centers in the U.S. transmit their cases, resulting in the largest actively monitored public health database of its kind.
WAPC hosts emergency services personnel, students, pharmacy externs, and medical residents for tours and observation times throughout the year. If you are interested in scheduling a visit, please contact Joe Cropley at (206) 517-2383 or 1-800-572-4104 ext. 2383 or fill out our online form requesting a professions tour or visit.
The Washington Poison Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization contracted to the Department of Health – EMS and Trauma Prevention. WAPC serves all of Washington from its call center in Seattle and is funded biennially via state and federal sources as well as private donations.

Abstracts