Poison Control Center Enhancement and Awareness Act

Summary: Poison Control Center Enhancement and Awareness Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide coordination and assistance to regional poison control centers for the establishment of a nationwide toll-free phone number to be used to access such centers.  Authorizes appropriations. 
Mandates a national media campaign to educate the public about poison prevention and the availability of local poison control resources and to conduct advertising campaigns concerning the nationwide toll-free number.  Authorizes appropriations. 
Mandates grants for certified regional poison control centers to achieve financial stability and to prevent, and provide treatment recommendations for, poisoning.  Mandates other grant uses.  Sets forth center certification requirements.  Authorizes appropriations.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Poison Control Center Enhancement 
and Awareness Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Each year more than 2,000,000 poisonings are reported 
        to poison control centers throughout the United States. More 
        than 90 percent of these poisonings happen in the home. 53 
        percent of poisoning victims are children younger than 6 years 
        of age.
            (2) Poison centers are life-saving and cost-effective 
        public health services. For every dollar spent on poison 
        control centers, $7 in medical costs are saved. The average 
        cost of a poisoning exposure call is $31.28, while the average 
        cost if other parts of the medical system are involved is $932. 
        Over the last 2 decades, the instability and lack of funding 
        has resulted in a steady decline in the number of poison 
        control centers in the United States. Currently, there are 75 
        such centers.
            (3) Stabilizing the funding structure and increasing 
        accessibility to poison control centers will increase the 
        number of United States residents who have access to a 
        certified poison control center, and reduce the inappropriate 
        use of emergency medical services and other more costly health 
        care services.

SEC. 3. DEFINITION.

    In this Act, the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL TOLL-FREE NUMBER.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall provide coordination and 
assistance to regional poison control centers for the establishment of 
a nationwide toll-free phone number to be used to access such centers.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, $2,000,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 1999 through 2003.

SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONWIDE MEDIA CAMPAIGN.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish a national media 
campaign to educate the public and health care providers about poison 
prevention and the availability of poison control resources in local 
communities and to conduct advertising campaigns concerning the 
nationwide toll-free number established under section 4.
    (b) Contract With Entity.--The Secretary may carry out subsection 
(a) by entering into contracts with 1 or more nationally recognized 
media firms for the development and distribution of monthly television, 
radio, and newspaper public service announcements.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, $600,000 for each of the fiscal 
years 1999 through 2003.

SEC. 6. ESTABLISHMENT OF A GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Regional Poison Control Centers.--The Secretary shall award 
grants to certified regional poison control centers for the purposes of 
achieving the financial stability of such centers, and for preventing 
and providing treatment recommendations for poisonings.
    (b) Other Improvements.--The Secretary shall also use amounts 
received under this section to--
            (1) develop standard education programs;
            (2) develop standard patient management protocols for 
        commonly encountered toxic exposures;
            (3) improve and expand the poison control data collection 
        systems; and
            (4) improve national toxic exposure surveillance.
    (c) Certification.--Except as provided in subsection (d), the 
Secretary may make a grant to a center under subsection (a) only if the 
center has been certified by a professional organization in the field 
of poison control, and the Secretary has approved the organization as 
having in effect standards for certification that reasonably provide 
for the protection of the public health with respect to poisoning.
    (d) Waiver of Certification Requirements.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary may grant a waiver of the 
        certification requirement of subsection (a) with respect to a 
        noncertified poison control center that applies for a grant 
        under this section if such center can reasonably demonstrate 
        that the center will obtain such a certification within a 
        reasonable period of time as determined appropriate by the 
        Secretary.
            (2) Renewal.--The Secretary may only renew a waiver under 
        paragraph (1) for a period of 3 years.
    (e) Supplement not Supplant.--Amounts made available to a poison 
control center under this section shall be used to supplement and not 
supplant other Federal, State, local or private funds provided for such 
center.
    (f) Maintenance of Effort.--A poison control center, in utilizing 
the proceeds of a grant under this section, shall maintain the 
expenditures of the center for activities of the center at a level that 
is equal to not less than the level of such expenditures maintained by 
the center for the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the 
grant is received.
    (g) Matching Requirement.--The Secretary may impose a matching 
requirement with respect to amounts provided under a grant under this 
section if the Secretary determines appropriate.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, $25,000,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 1999 through 2003.