Utah Valley Times

U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, has joined forces with Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) to introduce the Poison Control Centers Reauthorization Act of 2024. This bipartisan legislation aims to reauthorize the Poison Control Centers (PCC) Network program through 2029. The House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously cleared identical legislation in March.

"Poison control centers play an important role in addressing opioid abuse, lead contamination, and food poisoning in our communities—and even on a national scale. Since its inception, the Utah Poison Control Center has supported more than two million poisoning crisis cases—the highest utilization per capita of any poison center in the nation," said Senator Romney. "This legislation will reauthorize federal funding for poison control centers to maintain critical services like the 24-hour hotline, as well as provide for grants and public outreach programs."

Senator Murray echoed these sentiments: "Supporting our Poison Control Centers Network has always been important to me because it’s a literal lifeline for tens of thousands of parents, patients, and health providers who turn to these vital resources for expert assistance in emergency situations."

Senators Tuberville and Luján also voiced their support for the bill. Richard Fogelson, CEO of America’s Poison Centers expressed gratitude towards the senators for championing their mission.

The PCC Network program operates the Poison Control National toll-free hotline (1-800-222-1222) and oversees 55 poison control centers nationwide—medical support facilities staffed by toxicologists, nurses, and other professionals operating around-the-clock. In 2022 alone, the PCC Network responded to more than 2 million human exposures—an exposure case every 15 seconds on average.