Young Artists Throughout Northern Ohio Take Up the Challenge from the Northern Ohio Poison Control Center
Posters Highlight the Theme “Children Act Fast, So Do Poisons”
Cleveland, OH–Most people asked to name poisons in their homes could list things like medications, gasoline, or pesticides, but there are many common substances around us every day that are dangerous to children. Poisons are everywhere in our homes, often in things we don’t think about, like cosmetics, cleaning supplies, plants, or even mouthwash, and more than 1.2 million children ages 5 and under are unintentionally poisoned each year. National Poison Prevention Week, the third week in March each year, highlights the dangers of poisonings and how to prevent them. The Northern Ohio Poison Control Center and University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital celebrated this year with a poster contest that encouraged young people from throughout Northern Ohio to come up with words and images to educate the public about ways to prevent accidental poisonings in the home.
The contest was for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. More than 30 schools from the 24 counties covered by the Northern Ohio Poison Control Center participated in the contest this year, and 69 posters were submitted for judging. The only requirements were that posters have a poison prevention message, include the poison control number (1-800-222-1222), and be creative.
After rounds of judging by the staff at the Northern Ohio Poison Control Center, two winners were chosen from the wide array of artwork submitted by these talented young people. The winner from the younger division (kindergarten-grade 2) was Regan Draeger from Woodmore Elementary in Lindsey (Sandusky County), while the winner for the older division (grades 3-5) was Julia Libbey from St. Brendan’s School in North Olmsted (Cuyahoga County). Winners received fun prizes, including a prize package from Education Avenue, a Pizza Hut gift card and items donated by sponsors like Hometown Buffet, Bat-A-Rama Batting Cages, and B.A. Sweetie Candy Company.
Winners also had a chance to take part in the in the national Poison Prevention Week poster contest, where they competed with posters submitted from around the country. The national winners were announced on July 1, and while our Northern Ohio poster winners did not take first place in the national contest, they did a great job of raising awareness in their own schools and communities.
“It’s not the job of children to protect themselves, that’s up to parents and other adults,” noted Dr. Larry Quang, Medical Director of the Northern Ohio Poison Control Center at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. “But it is important for children to learn to check with an adult before eating or drinking anything they find and it’s especially important for older brothers and sisters and babysitters to understand the message of poison prevention week: ‘kids act fast, so do poisons.’ The many wonderful posters we received this year did a great job of spreading these important poison prevention messages.”
The Northern Ohio Poison Center (NOPC), based at Rainbow Babies and Children Hospital, serves the poison information needs of 24 counties in Northern Ohio. Available 24/7 through a national toll-free number, 800-222-1222, our Poison Information Specialists handled over 60,000 calls 2009. These registered nurses have extensive training in toxicology and are overseen by the only 3 board-certified toxicologists in Northern Ohio. The service is free to all members of the public, and is a particularly valuable resource for healthcare facilities and first-responders.