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1st
appeared 3 March 1999
Bill Proposes Stable Funding for Poison Control
System
 A bill introduced last week will provide a much-needed stable
funding source for the California Poison Control System (CPCS), the state's toll-free
phone network that answers calls from the public about poisoning emergencies.
Without new funds, the system will run out of money to support its operation and will be
forced to close by November, officials say.
Over the past two years, CPCS managed more than 600,000 calls involving poisoning
emergencies. More than half of these calls involved young children.
"Fortunately, someone was there to answer the phone when it rang, but if we don't do
something soon, nobody will be there when we need them," says State Assemblyman Kevin
Shelley (D-San Francisco/San Mateo), who sponsored the legislation.
Previous funding for CPCS has been "a patchwork affair," says Shelley. Under his
proposal, the system will receive about $5 million a year toward the $6 million needed for
operating costs through dedicated funding sources that could include hazardous chemical,
pharmaceutical, and health insurance companies. The balance would come from state money
already earmarked for the statewide network.
Serving all 33 million residents of California, the system is under the direction of the
UCSF School of Pharmacy and consists of four sites around the state where specially
trained pharmacists, nurses, and other health care providers respond to calls for
suspected poisonings 24 hours a day.
The sites are located at the UCSF-affiliated San Francisco General Hospital Medical
Center, UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, UC San Diego Medical Center, and Valley
Children's Hospital in Fresno/Madera. The toll-free number for the public for poisoning
emergencies regardless of statewide location is 1/800/876-4766 (1/800/8-POISON).
In announcing his proposal, Shelley emphasized that CPCS is a life-saving and
cost-effective public health program.
"It takes only $6 million per year to keep this vital program operating. It saves
many more dollars than that, as well as saving people the trouble of unnecessary emergency
room visits. Not to mention the fact that the ability of CPCS to react immediately saves
lives," he says.
It is estimated that CPCS saves the state about $30
million a year in health care costs, including unnecessary visits to hospital emergency
departments and reduced hospital stays. Research by the US Department of Health and Human
Services has shown that for every dollar spent on poison centers, $7 is saved in medical
costs. The average cost of each call to a poison center is $31 while the average cost of
the call regarding a poisoning emergency if other parts of the medical system are called
-- such as 911 -- is more than $900.
Shelley's bill, AB 1043, will now go to committee where it is expected to undergo some
revision. It's hoped that the bill will be passed by the state legislature before the end
of the summer, according to Stuart Heard, CPCS executive director and UCSF assistant dean
of pharmacy. Heard stressed that a solid financial base is essential for long-term
planning and to maintain the quality of CPCS.
"Once we achieve stable funding for our basic emergency services we can concentrate
on our equally important responsibility of providing poison prevention education to the
public, particularly in our non-English speaking communities," he says.
CPCS began operation as an integrated system in January 1997 under the direction of the
UCSF pharmacy school. Previously there were regional poison control centers around the
state that received the majority of their funding at the local level, principally from
their host hospitals, and that coordinated with each other on an informal basis. Health
care financing changes in the 1980s began limiting the ability of hospitals to support
such broad-based public services, which led to many years of patchwork and crisis-oriented
funding schemes.
In 1996 it was recommended that California organize a single, unified system. UCSF
submitted a proposal and received state government one-time-only seed dollars to get the
system up and running for the first two-and-one-half years.
The new system has saved money through reduced administrative costs, use of high-tech
computer and telephone software to improve efficiency, use of standardized guidelines to
manage calls, and streamlined data collection, according to Heard.
"We met our initial goal, which was to organize a first-class statewide service, and
now if Shelley's proposal passes, we will have a solid funding base to keep it running at
this level," he says.
Links:
UCSF School of Pharmacy
California State Assemblymember
Kevin Shelley
Three Youths Named Top Prize
Winners in Statewide Poster Contest on Poison Prevention
Source: Corinna Kaarlela, News
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