March 17, 2016

Educate Children About Medicine Safety During National Poison Prevention Week

Since 1962, the President of the United States has proclaimed the third week of March as National Poison Prevention Week to raise awareness about the dangers of poisonings and how to prevent them. The following daily themes will be promoted in 2016: 

  • Monday, March 21 – Children Act Fast … So Do Poisons
  • Tuesday, March 22 – Poison Centers: Saving You Time and Money
  • Wednesday, March 23 – Poisonings Span a Lifetime
  • Thursday, March 24 – Home Safe Home
  • Friday, March 25 – Medicine Safety
  • Download the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ National Poison Prevention Week 2016 Outreach Toolkit.  The toolkit contains links to infographics, press release and email templates, and much more!

Congratulations to the winners of the 2016 National Poison Prevention Week Poster Contest, sponsored by the National Poison Prevention Week Council!  In honor of National Poison Prevention Week, the Council conducts a nationwide poster contest for kids in Kindergarten through 8th grade to engage the community in helping to ensure the safety of children and adults. 2017 contest entries are due May 15th, 2016. Read the contest rules.  

Coalitions are the perfect vehicle to deliver medicine safety messages to young people in the community. To help in that effort, CADCA has disseminated to its members the OTC Medicine Safety curriculum, developed by Scholastic and the AAPCC in partnership with McNeil Consumer Healthcare. The curriculum, aimed at 5th and 6th graders, raises awareness about the safe use of OTC medicines and provides resources to better equip coalition leaders, educators, school nurses and parents with knowledge about responsible OTC medicine use and storage. 

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