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About Us
The Virginia Poison Center provides direct emergency assistance
with acute toxic exposures by telephone to the
general public and to health professionals of the Commonwealth,
and works to prevent unintentional poisonings through public
education. By serving as a resource, the Center substantially
reduces unnecessary emergency room visits and hospital admissions.
Our Services
These core services support our mission:
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Provide twenty four hour advice and information over the phone to the public |
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Serve as a twenty four hour resource for physicians and other health care professionals treating patients who have been exposed to toxins |
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Our clinical toxicologists provide direct patient care through bedside or telephone consultations |
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Prevent unintentional poisonings through an active public education program |
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Train healthcare professionals in clinical toxicology |
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Collect and analyze data related to toxic exposures |
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Improve domestic preparedness through participation in homeland security initiatives and other public safety venues |
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In response to a high prevalence of accidental poisoning in young children, the nation's first Poison Control Center was started in Chicago in 1953. Just a few years later in 1958, the Medical College of Virginia's Department of Pediatrics established the Central Virginia Poison Center - the first Poison Control Center in Virginia . The center celebrated its first 39 years under the MCV Department of Pediatrics, and in 1997 began its affiliation with the Department of Emergency Medicine. Originally established to serve central Virginia , its service area expanded to include all of eastern Virginia when the Tidewater Poison Center in Norfolk closed in 1990. The center then adopted its current name, the Virginia Poison Center , to reflect the larger regional service area. In 1998, portions of the eastern service area were temporarily reassigned to the UVA poison center in order to equalize call volumes between the two centers.
The Center became CERTIFIED as a REGIONAL POISON CENTER by the American Association of Poison Control Centers in 1998, and has maintained national certification since then.
Our Annual Report Click here to see the Virginia Poison Center 's latest published statistical data from our annual report.
VCU Emergency Medicine
Residency Program
Virginia Commonwealth University's official Web site
The official Web site for the VCU Medical Center
VCU Medical Center's Department of Emergency Medicine Web site
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