(a) The University of Connecticut Health Center, at Farmington, shall include a Poison Information Center for the collection, exchange and dissemination of information needed to minimize damage from potentially toxic substances. Said Poison Information Center shall: (1) Establish and maintain a file on the general composition of substances which, if ingested, inhaled or applied topically to any part of the body, would cause concern for possible toxic reactions; (2) establish and maintain a file on potentially toxic substances, including physiological effects of the toxic substance, the symptoms and signs of toxic reactions and specific antidotes, if any; (3) establish and maintain a file or library of reference material on toxicology; (4) operate twenty-four hours each day, every day of the year to provide such information upon request; and (5) disseminate information contained in subdivisions (1) and (2) to hospitals in the state which establish regional information centers through duplicate index sets and periodic bulletins. Information in the indexes and reference material shall be provided on request according to policy established by said Poison Information Center and, if the requested information is not available in said center or in regional centers, appropriate steps shall be taken by said center to locate the information desired. Said Poison Information Center shall utilize its resources and information to reduce the incidence of accidental poisonings in the state. Said Poison Information Center may develop forms and methods for collecting additional information and require such reports as may be necessary for the discharge of the responsibilities of said center.

(b) Each hospital in the state shall report to the Poison Information Center each incident of accidental poisoning treated by such hospital. Said reports shall be submitted to the center not later than sixty days from the date of treatment on forms prescribed and provided by the Commissioner of Public Health and shall contain such information as the center requires.

(1957, P.A. 583, S. 1, 2; P.A. 76-376, S. 1, 3; P.A. 84-336, S. 4; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58.)

History: P.A. 76-376 deleted provisions giving health department and commissioner responsibilities for poison information center and required year-round, twenty-four-hour operation; Sec. 19-23 was transferred to Sec. 10-141k in 1977; Sec. 10-141k transferred to Sec. 10a-132 in 1983 pursuant to reorganization of higher education system; P.A. 84-336 added Subsec. (b) requiring a hospital to report each incident of accidental poisoning treated by it to the poison information center; P.A. 93-381 replaced commissioner of health services with commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993 (Revisor's note: In codifying public act 93-381, the words “The health center of The University of Connecticut” in Subsec. (a) were changed editorially by the Revisors to “The University of Connecticut Health Center” for consistency with other statutory references and in 1995 the Revisors editorially substituted the numeric indicators (1), (2), (3) (4) and (5) for (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) in Subsec. (a) for consistency with statutory usage); P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995.

See chapter 187c re John Dempsey Hospital Finance Corporation.