[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11215-11218]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     POISON CENTER SUPPORT, ENHANCEMENT, AND AWARENESS ACT OF 2008

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 5669) to amend the Public Health Service Act to 
reauthorize the poison center national toll-free number, national media 
campaign, and grant program to provide assistance for poison 
prevention, sustain the funding of poison centers, and enhance the 
public health of people of the United States.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5669

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Poison Center Support, 
     Enhancement, and Awareness Act of 2008''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Poison centers are the primary defense of the United 
     States against injury and deaths from poisoning. Twenty-four 
     hours a day, the general public as well as health care 
     practitioners contact their local poison centers for help in 
     diagnosing and treating victims of poisoning. In 2007, more 
     than 4 million calls were managed by poison centers providing 
     ready and direct access for all people of the United States, 
     including many underserved populations in the United States,

[[Page 11216]]

     with vital emergency public health information and response.
       (2) Poisoning is the second most common form of 
     unintentional death in the United States. In any given year, 
     there will be between 3 million and 5 million poison 
     exposures. Sixty percent of these exposures will involve 
     children under the age of 6 who are exposed to toxins in 
     their home. Poisoning accounts for 285,000 hospitalizations, 
     1.2 million days of acute hospital care, and more than 26,000 
     fatalities in 2005.
       (3) In 2008, the Harvard Injury Control Research Center 
     reported that poisonings from accidents and unknown 
     circumstances more than tripled in rate since 1990. In 2005, 
     the last year for which data are available, 26,858 people 
     died from accidental or unknown poisonings. This represents 
     an increase of 20,000 since 1990 and an increase of 2,400 
     between 2004 and 2005. Fatalities from poisoning are 
     increasing in the United States in near epidemic proportions. 
     The funding of programs to reverse this trend is needed now 
     more than ever.
       (4) In 2004, The Institute of Medicine, of the National 
     Academies recommended that the ``Congress should amend the 
     current Poison Control Center Enhancement and Awareness Act 
     Amendments of 2003 to provide sufficient funding to support 
     the proposed Poison Prevention and Control System with its 
     national network of poison centers. Support for the core 
     activities at the current level of service is estimated to 
     require more than $100 million annually.''.
       (5) Sustaining the funding structure and increasing 
     accessibility to poison control centers will promote the 
     utilization of poison control centers and reduce the 
     inappropriate use of emergency medical services and other 
     more costly health care services. The 2004 Institute of 
     Medicine Report to Congress determined that for every $1 
     invested in the Nation's poison centers $7 of health care 
     costs are saved. In 2005, direct Federal health care program 
     savings totaled in excess of $525 million as the result of 
     poison center public health services.
       (6) More than 30 percent of the cost savings and financial 
     benefits of the Nation's network of poison centers are 
     realized annually by Federal health care programs (estimated 
     to be more than $1 billion), yet Federal funding support (as 
     demonstrated by the annual authorization of $30.1 million in 
     Public Law 108-194) comprises less than 11 percent of the 
     annual network expenditures of poison centers.
       (7) Real-time data collected from the Nation's certified 
     poison centers can be an important source of information for 
     the detection, monitoring, and response for contamination of 
     the air, water, pharmaceutical, or food supply.
       (8) In the event of a terrorist event, poison centers will 
     be relied upon as a critical source for accurate medical 
     information and public health emergency response concerning 
     the treatment of patients who have had an exposure to a 
     chemical, radiological, or biological agent.

     SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF POISON CENTERS NATIONAL TOLL-FREE 
                   NUMBER.

       Section 1271 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     300d-71) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 1271. MAINTENANCE OF THE NATIONAL TOLL-FREE NUMBER.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall provide coordination 
     and assistance to poison centers for the establishment of a 
     nationwide toll-free phone number, and the maintenance of 
     such number, to be used to access such centers.
       ``(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for each of the 
     fiscal years 2000 through 2009 to carry out this section; and 
     $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2014 for 
     the maintenance of the nationwide toll-free phone number 
     under subsection (a).''.

     SEC. 4. REAUTHORIZATION OF NATIONWIDE MEDIA CAMPAIGN TO 
                   PROMOTE POISON CENTER UTILIZATION.

       (a) In General.--Section 1272 of the Public Health Service 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 300d-72) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 1272. NATIONWIDE MEDIA CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE POISON 
                   CENTER UTILIZATION.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out, and 
     expand upon, a national media campaign to educate the public 
     and health care providers about poison prevention and the 
     availability of poison center resources in local communities 
     and to conduct advertising campaigns concerning the 
     nationwide toll-free number established under section 
     1271(a).
       ``(b) Contract With Entity.--The Secretary may carry out 
     subsection (a) by entering into contracts with a nationally 
     recognized organization in the field of poison control for 
     the development and implementation of a nationwide poison 
     prevention and poison center awareness campaign, which may 
     include the development and distribution of poison prevention 
     and poison center awareness materials; television, radio, 
     Internet, and newspaper public service announcements; and 
     other means of public and professional awareness and 
     education.
       ``(c) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall--
       ``(1) establish baseline measures and benchmarks to 
     quantitatively evaluate the impact of the nationwide media 
     campaign carried out under this section; and
       ``(2) prepare and submit to the appropriate congressional 
     committees an evaluation of the nationwide media campaign on 
     an annual basis.
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
     $600,000 for each of the fiscal years 2000 through 2005, such 
     sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2006 
     through 2009, and $1,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 
     2010 through 2014.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section 
     shall be effective as of the date of the enactment of this 
     Act and shall apply to contracts entered into on or after 
     January 1, 2009.

     SEC. 5. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE POISON CENTER GRANT PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--Section 1273 of the Public Health Service 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 300d-73) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 1273. MAINTENANCE OF THE POISON CENTER GRANT PROGRAM.

       ``(a) Authorization of Grant Program.--The Secretary shall 
     award grants to poison centers certified under subsection (c) 
     (or granted a waiver under subsection (d)) and professional 
     organizations in the field of poison control for the purposes 
     of preventing, and providing treatment recommendations for, 
     poisonings and complying with the operational requirements 
     needed to sustain the certification of the center under 
     subsection (c).
       ``(b) Additional Uses of Grant Funds.--In addition to the 
     purposes described in subsection (a), a poison center or 
     professional organization awarded a grant under such 
     subsection may also use such grant for the following 
     purposes:
       ``(1) To establish and evaluate best practices in the 
     United States for poison prevention, poison center outreach, 
     and emergency and preparedness programs.
       ``(2) To research, develop, implement, revise, and 
     communicate standard patient management guidelines for 
     commonly encountered toxic exposures.
       ``(3) To improve national toxic exposure surveillance by 
     enhancing cooperative activities between poison centers in 
     the United States and the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention.
       ``(4) To develop, support, and enhance technology and 
     capabilities of professional organizations in the field of 
     poison control to collect national poisoning, toxic 
     occurrence, and related public health data.
       ``(5) To develop initiatives to foster the enhanced public 
     health utilization of national poison data collected by 
     organizations described in paragraph (4).
       ``(6) To support and expand the toxicologic expertise 
     within poison centers.
       ``(7) To improve the capacity of poison centers to answer 
     high volumes of calls and respond during times of national 
     crisis or other public health emergencies.
       ``(c) Certification.--Except as provided under subsection 
     (d), the Secretary may make a grant to a poison center under 
     subsection (a) only if--
       ``(1) the center has been certified by a professional 
     organization in the field of poison control, and the 
     Secretary has approved the organization as having in effect 
     standards for certification that reasonably provide for the 
     protection of the public health with respect to poisoning; or
       ``(2) the center has been certified by a State government, 
     and the Secretary has approved the State government as having 
     in effect standards for certification that reasonably provide 
     for the protection of the public health with respect to 
     poisoning.
       ``(d) Waiver of Certification Requirements.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may grant a waiver of the 
     certification requirement of subsection (c) with respect to a 
     noncertified poison center that applies for a grant under 
     this section if such center can reasonably demonstrate that 
     the center will obtain such a certification within a 
     reasonable period of time as determined appropriate by the 
     Secretary.
       ``(2) Renewal.--The Secretary may renew a waiver under 
     paragraph (1).
       ``(3) Limitation.--In no instance may the sum of the number 
     of years for a waiver under paragraph (1) and a renewal under 
     paragraph (2) exceed 5 years. The preceding sentence shall 
     take effect as of the date of the enactment of the Poison 
     Center Support, Enhancement, and Awareness Act of 2008.
       ``(e) Supplement Not Supplant.--Amounts made available to a 
     poison center under this section shall be used to supplement 
     and not supplant other Federal, State, or local funds 
     provided for such center.
       ``(f) Maintenance of Effort.--A poison center, in utilizing 
     the proceeds of a grant under this section, shall maintain 
     the expenditures of the center for activities of the center 
     at a level that is not less than the level of expenditures 
     maintained by the center for the fiscal year preceding the 
     fiscal year for which the grant is received.
       ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section--
       ``(1) for each of the fiscal years 2000 through 2004, 
     $25,000,000;
       ``(2) for each of the fiscal years 2005 through 2009, 
     $27,500,000; and

[[Page 11217]]

       ``(3) for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2014, 
     $35,000,000, of which $1,500,000 shall be used to award 
     grants for the purpose described in subsection (b)(4).''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section 
     shall be effective as of the date of the enactment of this 
     Act and shall apply to grants made on or after January 1, 
     2009.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Gene Green) and the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5669, the Poison Control 
Center Enhancement and Awareness Act, a bill that would provide 
assistance for poison prevention, sustain the funding of poison 
centers, and enhance the public health of people in the United States.
  Unfortunately, poisoning is a significant problem, and according to 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks second only to motor 
vehicle crashes as a cause of unintentional injury or death. The 
economic cost of unintentional poisoning is considerable, as poisonings 
led to $26 billion in medical expenses.
  The bill before us today would reauthorize a poison center national 
toll free number, a national media campaign to promote the use of 
poison centers, and a grant program to provide assistance for poison 
prevention to ensure that unintentional poisonings do not lead to 
unintentional injuries or death.
  I acknowledge my colleague, Congressman Edolphus Towns, and urge my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in support of this 
laudable legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1200

  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I would like to thank the Speaker and Mr. Green and the committee for 
bringing this forward in such a timely manner.
  This is an important act. This bill reflects a bipartisan effort, 
strengthened by the leadership of Mr. Towns, who provides the necessary 
funding for the poison control centers to continue their lifesaving 
work. I must say that in writing this bill, I enjoyed working with Mr. 
Towns and his staff and appreciate all of their help and cooperation.
  The poison control center located in Omaha is the designated poison 
control center for Nebraska, Wyoming, and, amazingly, American Samoa 
and the Federated States of Micronesia. It is one of the oldest poison 
control centers in the United States, established in 1957. It's one of 
fifty-two poison control centers in the United States certified as a 
regional poison control center by the American Association of Poison 
Control Centers and operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with full 
information and treatment capabilities. The majority of funding is 
provided by the Nebraska Med Center, Creighton University Medical 
Center, and the University of Nebraska.
  In 2007, 61 poison control centers located throughout the United 
States played a critical role in saving lives by responding to 4 
million calls. Poison control centers are staffed by medical 
professionals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These professionals are 
trained with the knowledge needed to assess poison risk, advise 
treatment and/or triage patients, recommend a treatment, or refer them 
to appropriate medical facilities.
  Poisoning is the second leading form of unintentional death in the 
United States, and an estimated 60 percent of those exposures are 
experienced by children under the age of 6. Calls received by poison 
control centers addressed chemical, biological, and nuclear exposure, 
as well as adverse reactions to pesticides, cleaning products, and 
other hazardous products.
  This bill provides the funding needed to authorize the poison center 
national toll-free number, national media campaign, and the State grant 
program to provide assistance for poison prevention. This legislation 
not only saves lives but saves millions of dollars a year in 
preventable medical expenses. A report by the Institute of Medicine 
concludes that the Nation's poison control centers yielded $7 in 
savings for every $1 invested. In 2005 alone, poison control centers 
saved Federal health programs an estimated $525 million.
  I encourage my colleagues to examine this bill and join us in support 
of this bill and the lifesaving work of poison control centers across 
the country.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to 
close.
  As I mentioned in my first statement, my opening statement, this is a 
bipartisan effort. Once again, I want to thank Mr. Towns.
  I have the floor statement of our ranking member, Joe Barton, who is 
also in support of this bill, and I will read in significant part his 
statement.
  He states: ``As our primary defense against injury and death from 
poisoning, poison control centers are a vital part of our health care 
system in the United States. Few people realize poisoning is the second 
most common form of unintentional death in the United States. In 2005 
there were over 26,000 deaths in the United States caused by the 
ingestion of poisons that resulted from approximately 5 million 
incidents of poison exposure. And without question, the number of 
deaths and debilitating injuries resulting from poisoning would be 
significantly higher if it weren't for the strong network of poison 
centers we already have, and with the passage of the legislation before 
us today, I am confident that we can make a great program even 
better.''
  And thanks to all of the efforts from the members of the Energy and 
Commerce Committee in making this a great bipartisan bill.
  Mr. Speaker, with that I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  I would like to thank my colleague, who is also a member of the 
Energy and Commerce Committee, not only on this bill but on other 
health care bills that we're dealing with on a bipartisan basis.
  This reauthorization of the poison center national toll-free number 
and the media campaign has been a proven success. And since all 
politics is local, and since you mentioned the University of Nebraska, 
I have to mention the University of Texas Medical Branch that serves as 
our poison control publicity and facility, and it's very successful. We 
just need to expand it because we still are having deaths from 
poisoning, and we need to make sure that toll-free number is utilized 
and that information is out there for our community.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong 
support of H.R. 5669. The Poison control centers provide vital 
healthcare services to Americans of all incomes and keep costs from 
emergency procedures under control. Through their cost-saving programs, 
these centers benefit the general public, the government, health care 
providers, public health entities, and insurers.
  In my district, Jay Schauben supervises a poison control center at 
Shans-Jacksonville hospital that treats a population of approximately 
six million. The Florida legislature created this center in 1989 to 
address overwhelming needs in the areas of exposure treatment and 
education, and Dr. Schauben's team has risen to the challenge and 
helped a countless number of my constituents. I would also like to 
thank Senator David Karnes, whose tireless support has been a great 
help

[[Page 11218]]

in attaining funding for these important centers. Finally, I would like 
to thank Dr. Gerold Schiebler of the University of Florida. Dr. 
Schiebler has been active for decades in the campaign for affordable 
healthcare and widespread access to poison control services.
  With our economy in recession, now is certainly no time to further 
limit access to the quality healthcare services, or to tie the hands of 
advocates like Dr. Schauben, Senator Karnes, and Dr. Schiebler. So, it 
is critically important that poison control centers are reauthorized, 
and that these centers receive full funding through Fiscal Year 2014.
  A wide variety of Americans benefit from the services poison control 
centers provide every day. The general public benefits by receiving 
cost-free poisoning prevention guidelines, emergency medical advice, 
and follow-up calls about treatment. These services prevent trips to 
emergency rooms and keep already outrageous healthcare costs from 
rising even further.
  I represent one of the poorest districts in the State of Florida, and 
I have seen first hand the challenges my constituents face in finding 
affordable healthcare. A study group consisting of medical and poison 
control experts has found that every dollar spent on poison centers 
saves seven dollars in healthcare costs.
  Also, poison control centers provide educational programs aimed at 
prevention. These programs help educate many uninsured Americans about 
means of poison prevention, and keep healthcare costs in the U.S. down 
by avoiding emergency room procedures.
  In addition to saving low- and middle-income Americans healthcare 
dollars, poison control centers provide 24-hour emergency and 
informational services via a Toll-Free National Hotline. This hotline 
is a vital source of information for many of my constituents, and 
Americans across the country, who could not otherwise receive medical 
advice or attention. This hotline also provides essential follow-up 
calls regarding continuing care of poison exposures.
  Without a national hotline, many individuals with known or suspected 
toxic exposures would seek significantly more costly and less 
accessible healthcare alternatives, such as an emergency room visit.
  Simply, the benefits of these centers are widespread, but are 
especially helpful to those whose incomes prohibit access to private 
health care services. Failure to reauthorize these important centers 
would represent a tremendous disservice to Americans in all 
Congressional districts.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5669.
  Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5669, the 
``Poison Center Support, Enhancement, and Awareness Act of 2008.'' I 
would like to thank my friend from New York, Mr. Towns, and, my friend 
from Nebraska, Mr. Terry, for introducing this important legislation, 
and I want to thank Chairman Dingell and Subcommittee Chairman Pallone 
for working in a bipartisan manner as we moved this bill through the 
Energy and Commerce Committee.
  As our primary defense against injury and death from poisoning, 
poison centers are a vital part of our healthcare system in the United 
States. Few people realize that poisoning is the second most common 
form of unintentional death in the United States. In 2005, there were 
over 26,000 deaths in the United States caused by the ingestion of 
poisons that resulted from approximately 5 million incidents of poison 
exposure. And without question, the number of deaths and debilitating 
injuries resulting from poisoning would be significantly higher if it 
weren't for the strong network of poison centers we already have, and 
with passage of the legislation before us today, I am confident that we 
can make a great program even better.
  Again, I thank my colleagues for their efforts on this bipartisan 
bill.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. 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.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pastor). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5669.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________