Sioux City-based Iowa Poison Control Center celebrates 25 years of saving lives and educating Iowans

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — If you’ve ever called the Poison Control Hotline while in Siouxland, chances are that call went to a local office that’s celebrating a big milestone.

The Sioux City-based Iowa Poison Control Center is celebrating 25 years of providing free, lifesaving information to Iowans this month.

Since 2000, trained pharmacists and nurses have been answering phones around the clock at the MidAmerican Energy building downtown.

All calls made from Iowa-based area codes, even when you call the national hotline, go directly to the Sioux City office, Iowa’s only poison control center.

“Anywhere in Iowa, that will route here. And 24/7, 365, one of our nurses or pharmacists will answer the phone and walk them through whatever the situation is. They might need a referral right away to a hospital, and then we call the hospital. What we’re doing is really providing information and management advice,” said Iowa Poison Control Center Executive Director Linda Kalin.

Officials said their efforts to help Iowans stay safe continue, even after the initial call is finished.

“We will continue to make follow-up calls. So about 23,000 cases per year and another 50,000 outgoing calls checking on a person’s condition. We call mom back, dad, caretaker, grandma at home, following up even on the cases that are managed in the home,” says Kalin.

More resources, like a home safety kit and poisoning prevention tips, can be found online at the center’s website, iowapoison.org

The Poison Control Hotline can be reached anytime by calling 1-800-222-1222.

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