The UPCC Celebrates 70 Years of Excellence

This year marked a significant milestone for the Utah Poison Control Center (UPCC) as it celebrated its 70th anniversary serving Utah residents. The UPCC was established in 1954, making it the second oldest center in the United States. There are 54 poison centers across the United States, together they make up the America’s Poison Centers. Since the beginning the UPCC has been certified as a Regional Poison Control Center by the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) ensuring the highest quality of standards. 

Did You Know the Utah Poison Control Center . . .

• provides 24-hour poison emergency telephone service to the public and health professionals across Utah?
• manages an average of 120 cases per day and over 40,000 cases each year.
• has handled over 2.1 million poison cases and counting?
• manages 75 percent of calls right over the phone, greatly reducing health care costs?
• prevents and minimizes adverse health effects from a poison exposure through education, service, and research?
• is a program of the State of Utah and is managed at the University of Utah, College of Pharmacy?

History

Poison control centers have grown and evolved since their early beginnings. Looking back, it all started in the 1950s when the American Academy of Pediatrics established an injury prevention committee to address the issue of childhood poisoning. At the time, poisoning was one of the most common causes of injury in children, and there was a shortage of reliable information on product ingredients. By 1953, the Chicago chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics had set up the first poison center, which began collecting and disseminating product information to help pediatricians treat children who had ingested household chemicals.

Soon after, Utah’s first poison control center was established in 1954 at the Salt Lake General Hospital by pediatrician Dr. Alan K. Done. Dr. Done’s pioneering efforts in Utah were part of this growing national effort. A significant turning point came in 1971 when Dr. Anthony R. Temple, a chief pediatric resident at the University of Utah, partnered with Dr. Done to develop the idea of regional poison centers. The goal was to extend poison control services to broader communities, making them accessible to anyone who needed help, not just physicians. This forward-thinking concept led to the creation of the Intermountain Regional Poison Control Center (IRPCC), which was established in 1971 in a room adjacent to the emergency department at University Hospital. In 1992 the name was changed to the Utah Poison Control Center to reflect the service area more accurately. 

A file card system was the first product reference system available to poison centers. However, in the 1970’s the original product reference cards were replaced with microfiche. Product information transitioned again in the late 1980’s into a computer-based library. Electronic resources have continued to evolve with technology. A variety of online product repositories are now available to poison centers allowing them to provide accurate and up-to-date advice today.

Many pharmacy students and medical students have trained and worked at the poison center over the years. The program grew and flourished, and staffing changed from a primarily student run program to a paid dedicated staff and eventually 24-hour staffing consisting of pharmacists and nurses. The poison center outgrew the space in the University Hospital moving in 1993 to University of Utah Research Park. Finally, in 2013, UPCC moved to its current location on the University of Utah Campus in the L.S. Skaggs Pharmacy Research Building.

Funding

Early funding was obtained from the Utah Department of Health as well as other sources over the years including federal funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Throughout the 1990s, the center struggled to fund this important public health service. The Utah State Legislature provided crucial support in 1998 when it established a surcharge on phone lines to fund poison control services. This legislation ensured stable funding for the UPCC and allowed the center to operate 24/7 and expand its services throughout the state. In 2014, primary funding transitioned to a direct state line appropriation, ensuring sustained financial support for its vital operations.

Highlights & Notable Events

• 1961- Annual National Poison Prevention Week (NPPW) is established to call attention to the dangers of poisoning. Each year the UPCC celebrates NPPW to promote awareness and poison prevention.
• 2002- Poison centers across the nation, along with Utah, transitioned from local and regional numbers to 1-800-222-1222, a shared nationwide telephone number.
• 2010- The UPCC is a source of information to the public, handles exposures and questions from the Chevron oil spills in the University of Utah Red Butte area.
• Early 2010’s- The UPCC began responding to a variety of social media challenges as some turn dangerous. The poison center provided education and awareness while specialists managed a variety of “social medial challenge” cases including Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Tide PODS^®, Benadryl^® and many more as the years continued.
• 2010 to present- The UPCC helps combat the opioid crisis by playing a critical role in Utah’s prescription drug epidemic response. The poison center responds to opioid overdose exposures, aids in tracking the use of naloxone and training efforts.
• 2011- The UPCC supported case management, public messaging and contact tracing related to Measles outbreak in Utah.
• 2015- The UPCC began health district contracts program across the state. These partnerships have helped spread prevention and education throughout the state.
• 2015- The UPCC responded to the California amusement park Measles outbreak and played a critical role in disease surveillance.
• 2016- In the summer of 2016, the UPCC supported the response to the Harmful Algal Blooms on Utah Lake. As experts in gathering information about poison exposures the UPCC helped identify the health impacts, managed exposures, identified bloom locations, answered questions from the community, and developed educational messaging. This challenge is ongoing and the UPCC continues to support the response each year.
• 2017- Cluster of patients experienced severe and unexpected symptoms from fake/contaminated CBD oil found in local Utah smoke shops. The UPCC worked with the Utah Department of Health and Utah Department of Public Safety to manage the crisis and uncover the cause was actually from a new synthetic cannabinoid like “Spice” that binds to the same receptor in the brain as marijuana but is much more potent.
• 2018- Utah residents reported more than a dozen cases of toxicity from ingesting laundry detergent pods. The UPCC was at the forefront of informing the public of the dangers of ingesting the packets.
• 2019- Sandy City residents were exposed to high levels of fluoride in their water supply through an equipment overfeed malfunction. The UPCC responded to public health concerns and exposures throughout the incident.
• 2019- The UPCC assisted in identifying and managing EVALI (e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury) cases. Vitamin E acetate added to THC vaping products was identified as the main cause in the EVALI epidemic.
• 2020 to 2022- The UPCC partnered with public health during the pandemic and managed the Utah Coronavirus Information Line for 2 1/2 years providing up-to-date information to Utahn’s 24/7.
• 2022- The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) simplified its legal business name to America’s Poison Centers. The national rebranding further unifies poison centers across the country and Utah adopted the new Poison Help logo.
• 2024- Diamond Shruumz^TM “microdosing” products contain undisclosed ingredients, including illicit substances. The UPCC, in cooperation with other poison centers, identified this emerging national outbreak.

Today

Today the UPCC continues to be a valuable resource providing free, expert, confidential poison help around-the-clock. The Specialists in Poison Information answering the Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) are pharmacists who have additional training in clinical toxicology. Board certified medical and clinical toxicologists are always on hand to provide additional support and expertise. The UPCC outreach education team maintains its dedication to poison prevention by actively engaging with the community and health professionals in a variety of ways including, presentations, health/safety fair participation, social media, lessons and programs for all ages, games, on-demand learning, and many other resources available on the UPCC website. These programs focus on what to do when a poisoning happens and how to prevent a poisoning. All of this has been made possible and successful through the guidance of the exceptional Poison Control Center Directors and Medical Directors throughout the years.