Waukegan,
Ill., 09/06/06– Vista Health System
recently joined with the Illinois Poison Center
(IPC) to educate residents and health care
professionals living and working in Lake County
about poison prevention and the IPC’s
services. As the first IPC volunteer “Satellite
Education Center” in Lake County, Vista
Health System will integrate the IPC’s
online educator training course and resource
center into continuing education programs
for emergency medical services (EMS) personnel.
The satellite center also will participate
in community events to promote poison safety.
The IPC offers free poison prevention and
treatment services to all Illinois residents
via a national, toll-free hot line (1-800-222-1222).
“By helping the IPC to increase public
awareness about poison prevention and the
availability of the IPC’s free services,
Vista Health System is providing a very valuable
service to local residents,” said Vickie
Dance, IPC Public Education Manager. “This
partnership will educate local residents about
how to prevent accidental poisonings and help
people avoid injuries – and even deaths
– due to poisoning.”
Vista
Health System now has an IPC educational display
unit to use at local health fairs, school
presentations and corporate events to educate
children and adults about the dangers of poisons
and how they can prevent accidental poisonings.
Vista Health System staff can facilitate access
to volunteer educators and poison prevention
materials for community groups, schools, corporations
and other organizations throughout Lake County.
“By integrating the poison prevention
educator training into the EMS Continuing
Education program, we hope to increase the
number of people advocating for poison safety,”
said Mary O’Connor, RN, BSN, TNS, Vista
Health System. “Additionally, the EMS
professionals learn more about the Illinois
Poison Center and how its staff can help them
in patient care.”
Local
health care professionals who are interested
in volunteering their time to promote poison
prevention in their communities should contact
O’Connor at 847-360-2747 or they can
log on to the IPC’s online training at
www.IllinoisPoisonCenter.org/outreach. Outreach
educators will receive free training and IPC
educational materials.
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Vista Health System is the first in Lake
County to become a poison control Satellite
Education Center. “Being able to
be a part of their first community educational
outreach program is exciting and we look
forward to the community benefiting from
this,” said Fire Chief Friedl, Gurnee.
Pictured are Chief Friedl’s son,
Nicholas Friedl, and Mary O’Connor,
RN, BSN, TNS, Vista Health System, learning
about the similarities of medicine and
candy from the educational medicine cabinet
during “Gurnee Days.” |
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