Poison Center Support, Enhancement, and Awareness Act of 2008

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5669, the Poison Center Support, Enhancement, and Awareness Act of 2008, and I thank the bill's sponsor, Congressman TOWNS, for his leadership on this issue. I also want to thank Chairman PALLONE and Chairman DINGELL for working to bring this bill before us today.

The poison control centers program has proven to be a very successful program for communities across the country, by providing a national toll-free number for poison emergencies, a national media campaign to promote the use of poison centers, and a poison prevention grant program.

In my district alone, the Illinois Poison Center handled 7,021 cases last year. Statewide, 51 percent of the calls the Illinois Poison Center handled involved children under the age of 5. I just can't imagine what families would do without this tremendous resource. Surely, this legislation which will reauthorize this program through 2014 and increase its total authorization to $37.5 million annually will be money well spent.

Not only do poison centers save lives, they save time and resources by cost avoidance for patients who are cared for in their homes as opposed to visiting a hospital and by reducing lengths of stay for patients who are cared for by a poison control center prior to arriving at a hospital.

Again, I thank the bill's sponsor and our Chairmen for their work on this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to give H.R. 5669 their support.

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