WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Mitt Romney (R-UT) to announce their Poison Control Centers Reauthorization Act of 2024, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Poison Control Centers (PCC) Network program through 2029. Identical legislation cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously in March.
The PCC Network program runs the Poison Control National Toll-Free hotline (1-800-222-1222) and 55 poison control centers nationwide—medical support facilities staffed by toxicologists, nurses, and other professionals operating 24 hours a day seven days a week. The program is supported by a combination of public and private funding. In 2022, the PCC Network responded to more than 2 million human exposures—receiving an exposure case every 15 seconds on average.
“Poison Centers across the country play a critical role in keeping our families and kids safe,” said Senator Tuberville. “I’m particularly proud of Alabama’s Poison Center at Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham. In addition to providing life-saving treatments, these centers do a great job helping families in crisis, mitigating the burden on emergency rooms, and tracking valuable data about the flow of illicit drugs across the country.”
“For more than 70 years Poison Centers have saved countless American lives and continued to keep communities and families safe from poison-related emergencies. By providing expert, confidential, and free guidance through the Poison Help line (1-800-222-1222) Poison Centers also save health care dollars and prevent unnecessary hospital visits,” said Richard Fogelson, CEO of America’s Poison Centers. “Today, Poison Centers are often the unsung heroes on the front lines of responding to emerging public threats. We thank and extend our appreciation to Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Sen. Ben Luján (D-NM), and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) for championing our mission and recognizing the critical role the nation’s 55 Poison Centers play in protecting the nation’s public health.”
The Poison Control Centers Reauthorization Act of 2024 reauthorizes the PCC Network program, Poison Control National Toll-Free phone number, and national media campaign, through 2029.
Full text of the bill can be found HERE.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
###
