Staten Island Pediatrician Worries over High Volume of Poison Control Calls

BROOKLYN, NY / www.myprgenie.com / April 24, 2014 / GPM Pediatrics, a New York Pediatric Center, responds to an article published by Scoop San Diego that claims poison control receives a phone call every minute about a child getting into medicine and every 8 minutes about a child going into the emergency room.

The article on Scoop San Diego reports statistics from Safe Kids Worldwide in a new study titled Keeping Families Safe around Medicine.The team surveyed more than 1,000 grandparents as 28% reported keeping medicine in easy-access areas around young grandchildren. In addition, approximately 3 out of every 4 medicine poisoning cases in children comes from a child accessing their parents or grandparents prescriptions.

While the concern of medicine around children has long been a topic of discussion that parents are well aware of, researchers believe that the influx of grandparents living with their children and grandchildren and creating multi-generational households has increased this risk.

Dr. Michael Gabriel of GPM Pediatrics says parents and grandparents need to be aware about this issue. "Too many children are being rushed to the emergency room because of ingestion of their parents' medicine." Gabriel explains. "With the statistics that multi-generational families are on the rise, grandparents need to remember that there are young children in the house and having access to medicine is a major concern."

Dr. Gabriel knows that many people keep their medicine in reach for convenience and even health issues but the risk of children getting into these prescriptions is too high. Gabriel advises parents and grandparents to go with safety caps at the pharmacy, store medicine in out of reach places, and teach children that these medicines are dangerous and not for play. In addition, it's important for parents to teach children how to dial 911 and to program poison control's number into their phones.

GPM Pediatrics provides comprehensive pediatric care to children throughout the New York area with practices both in Brooklyn and Staten Island. Our board certified pediatricians and experienced staff help provide a very warm and nurturing environment for both you and your children. Our approach combines the latest treatment methods with the personal attention you should expect from your doctor. Simply put, we understand the importance of communication and trust and we are earning that trust one family at a time.