[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4827]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         REAUTHORIZE THE NATIONAL POISON CONTROL INFRASTRUCTURE

  (Mr. TOWNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TOWNS. Yesterday, I introduced legislation with Lee Terry from 
Nebraska to provide for the reauthorization of the Poison Control 
Center. Since being codified into law in 2000, the Poison Control 
Centers must undergo reauthorization every 3 years. These centers 
provide immediate value to the public, providing free medical 
facilities that are staffed by toxicologists, nurses, and other 
professionals.
  Each year, poisoning results in 285,000 hospitalizations, 1,200 days 
of acute hospital care, and 1,300 fatalities. H.R. 5669 will 
reauthorize these critical Poison Control Centers to keep our national 
public health infrastructure in tact. I would like to thank Congressman 
Terry for this support.
  The 24-hour emergency and information hotline services that are 
provided for this legislation are given by the National Poison Center 
Toll-Free Telephone number. By providing direct patient care services 
to residential callers, health care professionals and institutions, 
Poison Control Centers save lives and help avoid costly 
hospitalizations. Let us keep that in mind as we move forward and 
reauthorize the Poison Control Centers.

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