ANNUAL REPORT

The Upstate New York Poison Center strives to reduce the number, cost and severity of poisonings.

THE UPSTATE NEW YORK

Poison Center

assists the medical community and the general public with poison emergencies by providing state-ofthe-art management expertise. The Poison Center staff provides telephone triage/case management for poison exposures 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to 54 counties and 125 hospitals, with a population base of 7.4 million people.

ADOLESCENT AND TEEN SUICIDES:

In 2022, 14% of our calls were for a suspected suicide. We saw an increase in calls for teens between 10-19. This is similar to national data. We note increased impulsivity in this age group, and almost 20% of cases are repeat attempts at self-harm.

OPIOID (including fentanyl):

Opioids continue to be an area of concern, with a high volume of calls for an unintentional overdose. Our poison center has found many overdoses are due to contaminants like fentanyl being added to opioids such as heroin, xylazine and tianeptine.

EDIBLE CANNABIS EXPOSURE IN CHILDREN:

In 2020, our poison center handled 364 cases concerning all cannabis products for all age groups. By 2022, that number jumped to just shy of 600 cases. The majority of calls concerning cannabis edibles is for children 5 and under ingesting some form of the drug.

Edible cannabis products containing THC are of particular concern in children and can result in significant instances of coma and less often seizures and respiratory depression. Also, these edible products are delayed in onset of effect resulting in a delay in the onset of symptoms.

CANNABIS-RELATED CASES IN 2022

93% of people who call our poison center from a residence are able to be managed at home and need NOT go to a health care facility.

Every dollar invested in the poison center system SAVES $13.39 IN MEDICAL COSTS and lost productivity for a total savings of approximately $1.8 BILLION EACH YEAR.

Top Poisonings

1 Analgesics (most exposure/information calls for: adult strength acetaminophen and ibuprofen)

2 Household cleaning products (most exposure/information calls for: bleach)

3 Cosmetics/personal care products (most exposure/information calls for: hand sanitizers)

4 Antidepressants

39% OF OUR CASES are related to kids 5 and under.

IN 2022, WE RESPONDED TO:

43,827 HUMAN EXPOSURE CASES

5,975 INFORMATION CALLS

14% WERE FOR SUSPECTED SUICIDE

93% OF THE EXPOSURES OCCURRED AT HOME

5 Sedative/Hypnotics/Antipsychotics (most exposure/ information calls for: benzodiazepines)

THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE:

The Upstate New York Poison Center assists the medical community and the general public with poison emergencies by providing state-of-the-art management expertise. Combining compassionate patient care with education, research and community outreach, the staff of the Upstate New York Poison Center confirms its commitment to excellence through a dedication to wellness.

125 HEALTH CARE FACILITIES OVER 7.4 MILLION NYS CITIZENS