Chillicothe Gazette: Cuts would gut state poison control centers, official says
The Central Ohio Poison Control Center — frequently a lifeline for those poisoned by opiates and addictive prescription drugs — stands to lose nearly one-third of its funding under the proposed federal budget.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the first version of the budget in February. Among the cuts were $27.3 million — 90 percent of funding — to poison control centers nationwide, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
As poison control awareness week concluded Friday, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, called for a full restoration of funding to the centers. He has an unusual ally — Attorney General Mike DeWine, a former Republican senator defeated in 2006 by Brown. DeWine authored the legislation establishing a national poison control hot line in 2002.
“The Attorney General’s office does believe that regional poison control centers are a cost-effective resource that provides the community a resource of expertise,” said Dan Tierney, a spokesman for DeWine.
