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Cincinnati Mom Raises Awareness as National Poison Prevention Week Begins

This year’s theme is ‘Children Act Fast; So Do Poisons’

Monday, March 21, 2016

When Rosalind Jones walked into her kitchen, she noticed a bottle of gummy vitamins on the counter. The cap was off and the bottle empty. That’s when she quickly showed the bottle to her then 2-year-old son Kaden and asked if he ate them. He replied, “Yes.”

“I remembered I had a magnet on the refrigerator for the Cincinnati Drug and Poison Information Center. I called the number and immediately spoke with a pharmacist who helped my son,” said Jones. 

Kaden Jones was not harmed but every year more than two million poisonings are reported to poison centers across the country. Approximately 90 percent of poisonings occur at home, and 51 percent of all poisonings involve children under the age of 6. 

“It’s important to remember that poisonings can happen to anyone, anywhere and at any time,” said Earl Siegel, managing director of the Cincinnati Drug and Poison Information Center (DPIC) at Cincinnati Children’s. “What we want to stress is that many poisonings are preventable and if you need help, health care professionals are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer your call.”

The Cincinnati Drug and Poison Center is one of the largest in the nation and provides service to 24 counties in Southwest Ohio and Northeast Ohio. In 2015, DPIC received more than 69,000 calls regarding issues that were addressed by the center’s trained staff, which includes doctors, nurses and pharmacists.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services gives the following tips for preventing poisoning: 

• Keep all drugs in medicine cabinets or other childproof cabinets that young children cannot reach.
• Never leave children alone with household products or drugs. If you are using chemical products or taking medicine and you have to do something else, such as answer the phone, take any young children with you.
• Never share or sell your prescription drugs.

“The incident with Kaden has helped me keep my children safe by paying more attention to screwing the caps on medication bottles more tightly. I still have the Poison Center’s number on my refrigerator!” said Jones. “I hope I can help other parents through my experience. 

National Poison Prevention Week begins on Sunday, March 20, and continues through Saturday, March 26. You can call 1-800-222-1222 anywhere in the United States and it immediately connects the caller with the appropriate poison control center for their location. Post it somewhere in your home where others will see it and program it in your home and mobile phones. 

About National Poison Prevention Week

Since 1962, the President of the United States has proclaimed the third week of March as National Poison Prevention Week to focus national attention on the dangers of poisonings and how to prevent them. To learn more about ways to keep people of all ages safe and help prevent poisonings, visit Poison Help or Poison Prevention. 

About Cincinnati Children's

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center ranks third in the nation among all Honor Roll hospitals in U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 Best Children’s Hospitals. It is also ranked in the top 10 for all 10 pediatric specialties, including a #1 ranking in pulmonology and #2 in cancer and in nephrology. Cincinnati Children’s, a non-profit organization, is one of the top three recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health, and a research and teaching affiliate of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The medical center is internationally recognized for improving child health and transforming delivery of care through fully integrated, globally recognized research, education and innovation. Additional information can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org. Connect on the Cincinnati Children’s blog, via Facebook and on Twitter.