Poison Control Centers save lives and money.

• Position: On First Reading

A child writhes in pain. What did he eat? What did he drink? What's happening? Fortunately, many terrified parents can turn to help at the touch of a telephone speed dial button--the local poison control center--for calm, authoritative advice.

Staff can treat most poisonings over the phone--with advice given by specially trained pharmacists, registered nurses and physicians. The centers monitor thousands of consumer products and can offer immediate treatment advice. Poison control centers resolve about 70 percent of calls over the phone, which prevents emergency room visits, ambulance calls and hospital admissions.

An Annals of Emergency Medicine study noted that the average call to a poison control center costs about $27, averting an average of $190 in other medical costs.

About 60 percent of the millions of poisonings that occur each year involve children. And more than 100 children die from accidental poisoning--most commonly from legal drugs, household and chemical products, plants and cosmetics.

As hospitals that support poison control centers have had to pare budgets, many centers have had to close their doors. Seventy remain and are getting help from the state and federal government.

All 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia are served by poison control centers. Some smaller states contract for these services, which also allows access to more highly trained personnel than could be supported by the state operating a poison center itself. Thirty-eight states...