About the Connecticut Poison Control Center (CPCC)
Poisoning by the Numbers |
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| 100 | number of calls a day to the Connecticut Poison Control Center |
| 7 | days of the week you can reach a poison expert to help you |
| 72 | percent of all poisoning calls managed at home |
| 34,000 | number of calls to the Connecticut Poison Control Center last year |
| 7 | dollars saved in other healthcare costs for every $1 spent on a poison center |
The Connecticut Poison Control Center (CPCC) is located at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. It is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by the poison experts. Call for fast, free, accurate advice for poisonings. We provide service to the entire State of Connecticut.
Our History
Since the Connecticut Poison Control Center was established under General Statute 10-a-132 in 1957, its operations and services have changed dramatically. It was first a department within Connecticut's Department of Health. Now an integral part of the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, and affiliated with Hartford Hospital, it is the only poison control center in Connecticut certified by the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
Our Mission
The Connecticut Poison Control Center’s mission is to enhance and protect public health by providing optimized toxicology-related patient care, information and education for all people of the State of Connecticut as well as their present and future healthcare providers.
The Connecticut Poison Control Center fulfills this mission by continuously:
- providing around the clock patient toxicology assessment, triage and management consultations;
- serving as a central resource for timely pharmacology and toxicology-related information;
- educating consumers on poison awareness and prevention;
- monitoring the epidemiology of human poisoning to identify hazard trends;
- acting as a sentinel for environmental/industrial hazards and adverse effects of product, drugs and chemicals;
- protecting the public health and homeland security;
- conducting and presenting toxicological research;
- ensuring access to CPCC services and referrals for all people regardless of social, economic and physical status;
- enhancing the education of health care practitioners and students, by providing formal toxicology instruction in poison prevention, diagnosis and treatment;
- collaborating with public health agencies and health care institutions to gather, analyze, and report data dealing with toxicology-related health care issues of Connecticut’s population.
Our Staff
- Medical Director: Marc J. Bayer, M.D.
- Associate Director: Charles A. McKay, M.D.
- Administrative Director: Bernard Sangalli, M.S.
In addition to our directors listed above, the Connecticut Poison Control Center is staffed by poison information specialists with backgrounds in acute care and special training in the management of poisoning, board-certified physician toxicologists, and community education staff. The doctors, nurses, and pharmacists of the CPCC have over 200 years of combined toxicology experience. They can determine the severity of an exposure and whether the poisoning can be managed safely at home or if hospital treatment is needed.
Our Consulting Toxicologists
The Connecticut Poison Control Center draws on New England's most extensive network of physician specialists in toxicology. Board-certified toxicologists are made available for consultations to the region’s hospitals, improving medical outcomes and reducing the cost of care.
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Our Toxicology Clinic
The Connecticut Poison Control Center staff can provide referral to the Toxicology Clinic -- the only one of its kind in New England -- at the University of Connecticut Health Center (860-679-3540) for evaluation of exposures to:
- pesticides, solvents, and toxic gases;
- alcohol and drugs of abuse;
- venomous creatures and poisonous plants;
- drug interactions and chemical toxicities;
- chemical exposures in the home, workplace, and environment;
- drugs and chemicals in women who are pregnant;