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Arkansas Poison Center warns of sharp rise in suicidal exposures, urges data follow‑up
Summary
The Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center told the Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee it handled about 21,500 human‑exposure cases last year and saw large increases in suicidal exposures — including an 800% rise in suicide‑type cases for children 12 and under — and offered county‑level follow‑up data on request.
The Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center told the Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee on Tuesday that its statewide, 24/7 hotline handled roughly 21,500 human‑exposure cases and about 5,800 informational calls last year, and that suicidal exposures are placing growing demands on the service.
"We took almost 3,500 suicide‑type exposure cases in 2023 and that required almost 12,000 follow‑ups," Howell Foster, the center’s managing director, said during the presentation. Foster said the center averages about 80 follow‑up calls a day to people at home or in hospitals.
The center provided several trend figures to the…
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