HPVEC offers a variety of programs designed to keep you well informed on poison prevention, bioterrorism, substance abuse, and many other important subjects.

An outline of our programs is listed below:

• General Poison Prevention
o Preschool – what is a poison?, what should you do if you get into trouble
o Elementary school – common poisons, look alike products
o Middle school – poisons in and outside the home
o Adolescents/young adults – substance abuse, inhalant abuse, babysitting
o Parents – childproofing, common household poisons
o Seniors – medication safety, overdosing, grandchild safety

• Poisons of Terrorism
o Bioterrorism
o Chemical agents
o Radiation poisoning
• Poison Plants and Animals
• The Poison Center and You – working together to stay safe!
• Over-the-counter Poisons
• Poisons and Infection Control
• EMT role in Poison Control
• Displays and booths for Health Fairs
• Many others…just ask!

Programs usually include the following topics:
1 “Poisons 101”
• What they are and how to recognize them
• What are the “Top 10” most common poisons?
• What do poisons usually look, smell and taste like?
• How and why people are poisoned
• What age groups are poisoned more often than others?
• What are groups suffer the most poison fatalities?
• What are each group’s risk factors?

2 How you can help prevent poisonings
• Where is the best place to keep medications in the home?
• How safe are “childproof” containers?

3 What to do if someone is poisoned
• Who would you call first: your doctor, 911 or the Poison Control Center?
• Would you give a victim milk? Water? Something else?
• What would you do if a poison entered someone’s eye? Got on someone’s skin?

4 The Poison Center and its services
• Emergency calls – Who answers the calls? What training do they have?
• Education programs – What is available?