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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 committee. Over the past 15 years, Foster said, adult cases increased about 23 percent, health‑care facility cases rose roughly 72 percent, and suicidal cases rose about 92 percent. He told lawmakers the pediatric trend is particularly alarming: overall suicide‑type pediatric calls rose about 200 percent, and for children 12 years old or younger the center has recorded an 800 percent increase in such calls.
Foster described the center’s role in both public and clinical settings, its partnerships with federal and national bodies and its data‑sharing through the National Poison Data System (MPDS). He said the center is regionally accredited and conducts follow‑up research and case reporting with other poison centers and toxicologists.
On funding, Foster said the center’s current budget is roughly $2.1 million. He told the committee the current revenue mix includes a state direct appropriation of about $1,100,000, CHIP funding netting about $700,000 (with a required match), a federal grant near $217,000 and small contracts totaling roughly $15,000.
Foster and the medical toxicologists on the panel answered members’ questions about fatalities and specific exposures. "We deal with about 20 fatalities a year," Foster said, adding most are suicidal cases and that accidental poisonings rarely result in death. He said most pediatric fatalities involved prescription or over‑the‑counter medications kept in the home.
Committee members asked for more granular data. Foster offered to run county‑level and per‑capita breakdowns and to provide additional statistics on alpha‑gal inquiries, snakebites and other topics on request.
The presentation concluded with the chair thanking the center and asking staff to circulate the requested county and pediatric data to committee members.
What’s next: Foster offered follow‑up data and county breakdowns; lawmakers asked staff to circulate that information to the committee.
