The Alabama Poison Center gets calls from paramedics traveling to or at the scene of an exposure. The Poison Center serves as a link between the emergency medical team and the health care facility. A chart is made on all calls. All of the above information obtained is entered into the chart along with treatment recommendations from the Alabama Poison Center staff. Additional information is charted as the Poison Center follows the case until symptoms have resolved.
All information is confidential.
Patient's names are given out ONLY in the event of referral to the hospital, and then ONLY to appropriate health care personnel. The number of times the Alabama Poison Center staff checks back with a patient depends on both the type of exposure and symptoms experienced as a result of the exposure. If you are not home when APC calls, a message will be left on your answering machine to return our call. It is the intent of APC to follow all exposures until symptoms have resolved or until the time period for exposures to occur has lapsed. Because it is important to ensure the safety of patients during times of an exposure to a potentially poisonous product, calls to the Poison Center are followed up in a timely manner.