24/7 Poison Help Available During National Poison Prevention Week

Mar 18, 2024

By: Farms.com

As National Poison Prevention Week (March 17-23) unfolds, health organizations are emphasizing the importance of being prepared for poison emergencies.

With a special focus on the services provided by the Poison Center at the University of Kansas Health System and Safe Kids Kansas, residents are reminded that help is just a phone call away at Poison Help (1-800-222-1222).

This week serves as a critical reminder that poisonings can occur unexpectedly, affecting anyone, regardless of age. Surprisingly, the home is where most poisonings occur, underscoring the need for immediate access to reliable information.

Unlike searching online, which can be slow and sometimes inaccurate, calling Poison Help connects you instantly with professionals who offer precise and life-saving advice.

The Poison Center isn't just for children; adults and the elderly often find themselves facing more severe poisoning situations, with medicines and pharmaceuticals being the most common culprits. Yet, household products, plants, and even animal bites and stings also pose significant risks.

Stefanie Baines, an education coordinator with the Kansas Poison Center, offers simple yet vital advice: save the Poison Help number in your phone and display it prominently at home. This preparation can make all the difference in an emergency or when seeking guidance on potential poisonings.

Here's how Poison Centers make a difference:

Time: Quick and accurate responses can be crucial in emergencies.
Worry: Expert staff, including nurses, pharmacists, and doctors, are ready to assist in over 150 languages.
Lives: Available 24/7, they provide essential information for both questions and emergencies.
Money: The service is free, potentially saving a costly visit to healthcare facilities.

As Cherie Sage, the State Coordinator for Safe Kids Kansas, points out, children's curiosity can lead them into dangerous situations, but Poison Centers are always ready to help, no judgment, just support.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.