Appendix Four: Public Education Programs
Children Under Five
Poison Prevention for Preschool/Day Care
A complete teaching package for preschool, day care centers and nursery schools. The kit contains a teacher's manual with suggested activities, an audio-visual and reinforcement activities.
A teaching guide for early education and poison prevention.
Look Alike Teaching Kit
Features many poisonous and non-poisonous household items that "look-alike."
Standards for home safety and poison prevention for staff, parents and children are taught with activity sheets for children and a video for parents and teachers.
Provides the teacher with lessons and activities for each grade K-6. Activity sheets are available that may be photocopied for distribution.
"Poison Awareness" interactive computer software that teaches children about poisons and prevention.
Candy Medicine Poster
An educational tool for clinics, schools, pediatricians' offices and WIC centers which shows similarities between candies and medicines.
Teens and Pre-Teens
Designed to bring awareness to the baby sitter on the potential poisons found in and around the home. This program includes the forms of poisons, how and why poisonings occur, what to do if an accidental poison exposure occurs while babysitting children and how to contact their local poison control center.
Inhalants Awareness for Parents
Promotes awareness about how some common household products are being abused by our children. Identifies common inhalants around the home, who, what, why and when of inhalant use including sign and symptoms, short and long term effects, sudden sniffers death and what to do if you find your child using.
Activated Charcoal in the Home
Home use of charcoal is taught in a variety of written materials.
Articles have been written for newsletters by network staff to educate both the public and health care professionals on the dangers associated with herbals.
Contain information literature, phone stickers and a coupon for syrup of ipecac.
In –Service Training
Workshop for teachers, nurses, department of health employees, etc., provides a complete background on the poison center and its services. The who, how and why of poisonings and what to do in the event of a poison exposure. Participants receive educational program training and materials for implementing a complete curriculum. Participants become part of the Educator Resource Network.
Educator Resource Network
Consists of trained volunteers who conduct poison prevention awareness and information programs for organized groups in their community.
School Nurses Poison Prevention Programs
A statewide effort to provide poison prevention and education to school nurses through video and specially designed curriculum.
Medication Management in the Elderly
Designed to teach the growing elderly population how to better manage their medications. It includes information on drug interactions, label reading, poison center services and medication management devices.
Treating Yourself With Care
Teaches seniors about medication logs, common drug interactions and side effects.
Power Over Poison for the Hearing Impaired
Previously mentioned programs adapted for the hearing impaired student through the use of signed and close-captained video.
Women, Infants, Children Nutrition Program/Public Health Nursing Program/Department of Health
Educational program to educate WIC staff, so they in turn can educate their clients about poison center services and distribute literature and telephone stickers.
News releases and public service announcements distributed to newspapers, television, radio and magazines. Media packets target various poison prevention issues, concerns and trends in an effort to heighten public awareness.
A quarterly publication featuring seasonal topics in poisoning exposures and prevention education. Designed as an educational tool for the public communities.
Tours and Orientations
Tours and orientations are available to both professional and public groups. Public groups are provided an age-related program in poison prevention and a tour of the center. These groups include day care centers, preschools, girl scouts, boy scouts and teachers.
Poison prevention informational displays, literature distribution and prevention education provided at school, community or organizational health and wellness fairs.
Fairs with Presentations
Similar to above mentioned with the inclusion of a scheduled talk or presentation.
Professional presentation provided at a conference or symposium on poison related topics.
Poison prevention program delivered to all students in a targeted grade level or multi-grades depending on school size. Half day or whole day programs available and can be tailored for age appropriate, experiential programs.
Centers work with local and chain pharmacies to distribute poison prevention literature to the public and cooperate in advertising poison prevention week.
Available for loan to teachers, parents, community groups. Includes "Billie and the Poison Roundup," "Poisonality."
Internet access allows public inquiries regarding information about the poison center and allows the public to ask basic information questions (non-exposure) that can be answered on a daily basis.