Focus on Pediatrics-Hospital creates replicable poison dangers program
Focus on Pediatrics-Hospital creates replicable poison dangers program
Anyone can do program with kit
The demand for speakers on poison prevention was ever present, yet the Central Ohio Poison Center at Children's Hospital Columbus could not fill the requests. With a staff of one and a service area of 3.5 million people, it could not meet this community need.
Rather than create a list of volunteer speakers to solve the problem, the center made it possible for each group to make the presentation on poison prevention on their own. Anyone can conduct a Be Poison Smart Program with the aid of a program-to-go-tote.
The tote is designed to help speakers deliver two basic messages in a 15- to 30-minute presentation, says Carol Fisher, education outreach coordinator at the poison center. The first message is how to be poison smart, and the second is to call the poison center when someone is exposed to poison unless they are unconscious, in which case 911 would be called.
To help speakers convey these messages, the tote contains a manual that gives all the basic information, age-appropriate scripts, six sets of "pretty poisons" for props, a laminated photo of medicines and candy, a poster that can sit on the table, brochures that reinforce the message, and telephone stickers for the poison control center. Speakers distribute the stickers and brochures to the audience.
The presentation helps adults see their home through the eyes of a child and learn how to keep poisons away from children, because 58% of the poison exposure calls to the center pertain to children age 5 and under. Young children are taught that some of the things they see that look good to eat are actually pretty poisons.
Ten totes are kept in circulation. Organizations call the poison center or write to reserve a tote. Although they must let the center know how long they plan to keep the tote, there is no time limit. Some organizations may need the supplies for a single day, while others are conducting a month-long campaign. There is no charge for the materials, either, except the cost to ship the tote back to the center. Organizations can purchase a tote for $55 if they want to keep the material.
A second community resource offered by the Central Ohio Poison Center is a display packet for health fairs. The packet has an assortment of handouts and a few posters with easels.
To encourage health care professionals to educate patients about poison prevention, the center created a caregiver packet that contains a bottle of Ipecac, telephone stickers with the poison center's number, a checklist for poison-proofing a home, and information on lead poisoning. However, before ordering the packets (which cost 95 cents each), professionals must attend a training session that teaches them how to deliver the poison prevention message. A flip-page notebook is provided as a teaching aid.
"The health care professionals must commit not to just hand the caregiver packet out, but provide the five to ten minutes it takes to go through the basic message," says Fisher.
For more information on the Be Poison Smart program, contact:
• Carol Fisher, Education Outreach Coordinator, Central Ohio Poison Center, Children's Hospital Columbus, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205. Telephone: (614) 722-2643. Fax: (614) 221-2672. E-mail: fisherc@ chi.osu.edu.n
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