Illinois Poison Control Center, the oldest in the country, marks 70 years of lifesaving service
Illinois Poison Control Center marks 70 years of lifesaving service
The Illinois Poison Control Center, the oldest in the nation, is celebrating its 70th anniversary. Operating out of Chicago, the center has played a crucial role in handling emergency calls during some of the most alarming health crises of the century, including the infamous Tylenol Murders and the anthrax scare.
CHICAGO - The Illinois Poison Control Center is celebrating 70 years. It’s the oldest in the country.
Some of the operators have been on the front lines, taking emergency calls, during the most frightening health scares of the century. From the Tylenol Murders to the rise of anthrax, the Illinois Poison Control Center is the first call many people make.
In the 1980s, as the nation suffered the symptoms of sheer panic, Anthony Burda fielded hundreds of calls from terrified Illinoisans who had taken Tylenol.
"It was when I was a rookie and had to train myself to become an expert in cyanide in a very short period of time," said Burda.
It took three days from the first death, until the manufacturer pulled the product from store shelves.
"Fortunately, we didn't get any calls from any of the victims, but we did get calls from hundreds of other people who were concerned," said Burda.
Marking its 70th year, the Illinois Poison Control Center, located in Chicago, has saved countless lives. It is staffed 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, by pharmacists who take calls from around the state.
"Honestly, every one of the 80,000 people that call the Poison Center every year, it's a big event to them," said center lead Carol DesLauriers.
Ronja Thompson was visiting family in Illinois when her two year old son approached her carrying an unlabeled bottle of sleeping pills. She immediately dialed the Illinois Poison Control Center.
"I'm like ok, is this a lethal dose, how many were there and we had no idea what was going on," said Thompson. "A thing that Illinois Poison Control did, that I was really impressed by, was they called to check in throughout the day. We were approaching nap time and I was even scared to take a nap."
On the other end of the phone was a trained toxicologist, like Erin Pallasch, who’s worked at the center for 25 years.
"I never know what's coming in on the phone line from one minute to the next. It could be a simple kid that ate diaper rash cream or silica gel or some major, potentially catastrophic ingestion or other issue," said Pallasch.
The Illinois Poison Control Center was established in 1953 at the former St. Luke’s Hospital – what is now Rush University Medical Center.
"About that time, late 40s, early 50s, there was a lot of unintentional poisoning, especially among children," said DesLauriers.
That’s because household products were much more toxic than they are today and didn’t have child resistant caps or ingredient labels.
When a doctor didn’t know what a child ingested, they called a well-known St. Luke’s pharmacist by the name of Louis Gdalman.
"He became known first at the city, then at the state, then nationwide as the expert in poisoning. And people would call him at the pharmacy when he was there, but he would also take calls from his home, like 24-7," said DesLauriers.
The rest is history!
"We're one of the most cost effective agencies out there because we save insurance companies, government programs millions of dollars by keeping people at home that don't need to be in the emergency room, so that's gratifying to know," said Burda.
The Illinois Poison Control Center is not a government agency, they are a stand alone nonprofit. They want you to save their number in your phone just in case. It's 1-800-222-1222.