CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — The only poison control center in North Carolina is in danger of losing a huge chunk of its funding.
Nurses and pharmacists take more than 300 calls a day at the Carolinas Poison Center in west Charlotte. The calls range from parents concerned about something their children have gotten into to possible overdoses and other potential poison emergencies.
Budget cuts passed by the House in Washington would cut federal contributions for poison control centers from $29 million to $2 million, recommending that 57 poison centers around the country be consolidated into one.
"We'd have to consider significant cuts in our services," said Anna Dulaney with Carolinas Poison Center.
She said she doesn't think the plan would serve North Carolinians nearly as well as having local experts in place to take calls.
"We know our snakes and spiders. We know what plants grow here," Dulaney said. "Someone somewhere else across the country may not know that."
The center is run by Carolinas Healthcare System, which contributes about a third of its $3 million annual budget. The federal portion in danger is $730,000, but budget issues make the state's portion of $1.3 million uncertain, too.
Form letters have been placed on the center's website, hoping to trigger a letter-writing campaign to U.S. senators who have the power to retain the funding.
The next-closest poison control center is at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
For more information or to write a letter to lawmakers, click here.
WSOC
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