Poison Center Pilots Triage Line for Mass Emergencies

The Florida/USVI Poison Information Center at UF Health Jacksonville has been selected as one of 10 pilot sites in the nation to receive funding for a feasibility study from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The National Triage Line (NTL) project establishes a network of specific poison centers which, upon request from the CDC, can rapidly be activated to a national triage line during a severe public health emergency.

The initial grant, which funds the NTL pilot project through October 2014, is to be used for preparations involving a flu pandemic. If the program achieves its expected success, it will be expanded to address other public health situations. Additional poison centers are also expected to be added to the NTL network in 2015.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) wants to create a surge activation plan to staff phone lines up to 250 percent of the centers’ normal daily call volume within 48 to 72 hours.

The grant also includes materials for a plan to collaborate with AAPCC on outreach mechanisms; creation of a surge activation plan for testing during simulation exercises and drills; creation of training and logistical mechanisms necessary for poison center staff to prescribe antivirals over the phone during a pandemic flu event; and the capability to support standby communications infrastructure without disrupting the usual emergency calls placed to the poison center from the public and health care professionals.

The three Florida Centers (Jacksonville, Miami and Tampa) decided to apply for and share the grant together to leverage their current capability of providing nearly instantaneous disaster and surge support.