Hotline - Washington Poison Center

Poison Center Hotline

This is where users can call for questions about ingested toxic materials.

501(c)3 Nonprofit

We are here to help 24/7/365

We provide immediate, free treatment advice and assistance. All calls are answered by nurses and pharmacists with expert-level training in poisonings, drug overdoses and toxic exposures.

We receive over 63,000 calls annually, and of those, almost 89% are about people being exposed to dangerous or potentially dangerous substances, such as household products, spoiled food and beverages, chemicals in the workplace and home, environmental toxins, drugs and medicine, and animal and insect bites and stings. The remainder of calls are for information, before an exposure occurs.

All calls are confidential.

How Washington Poison Center can help you

The Washington Poison Center emergency telephone helpline services are answered by specialists in poison information – nurses and pharmacists – with expert-level training in poisonings, drug overdoses, and toxic exposures.

Medical Professionals

WAPC will support with:

Assistance determining whether a response is warranted
Assistance determining whether ALS or BLS is required
Assistance with providing pre-arrival instructions to patients
Provision of treatment recommendations to the responding agency
Follow-up calls with the patient or caller as needed
Identifying medications (pill identification) for EMS and law enforcement

911 Dispatchers

Dispatchers can let WAPC know when transferring a call, alerting WAPC to presence on the line at the outset of the call to help handle the call with the highest priority. WAPC tailors the information to the needs of the 911 dispatchers, whether a response is needed and if ALS or BLS is required.

The basic information WAPC staff need:

Which agency is calling
Whether dispatchers are responding a unit already or waiting for WAPC to help with that decision
The phone number and zip code of your agency

EMTs / Paramedics

WAPC can help provide support when EMTs / Paramedics are called:

They can provide a brief history when on scene, or the scenario they’re en route to
WAPC can provide treatment recommendations, help deciding whether ALS is needed, or determining if transport is even necessary
EMTs / Paramedics may be called to provide WAPC with details about the patient’s age, weight, basic health status, and any symptoms present to help determine an appropriate course of therapy

Allow WAPC to follow up with the EMTs / Paramedics after the call, or contact WAPC at your convenience with any pertinent information regarding transport, symptoms experience by patient, and /or treatment rendered. This feedback allows us to monitor the effectiveness of our guidelines and to make adjustments if necessary.