More About Us
The Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center serves the citizens of Arizona by providing accessible poison and medication-related emergency treatment advice, referral assistance and comprehensive information on poisons and toxins, poison prevention and the safe and proper use of medications.
The Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center (APDIC) was established officially by the State Legislature of Arizona in April 1980 to provide lifesaving services to the citizens of Arizona. Located in Tucson at The University of Arizona and administratively directed by the College of Pharmacy, the center is staffed by full-time pharmacists who are poison information specialists, certified by the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
The center includes an array of specialists and experts:
- clinical and medical toxicologists
- emergency medicine and pediatrics physicians
- clinical pharmacists
- pharmacologists
- and many others from the College of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and other resources of regional toxicology expertise such as staff members of the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.
Poison center services can save both lives and money. The center prevents medically unnecessary visits to emergency rooms or hospitals through phone consultation. The immediate availability of the center's experts is especially crucial for rural communities that lack quick access to major medical facilities and to the healthcare professionals who serve them and frequently.
Did you know...
... the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center served Arizona for 25 years before the state officially recognized and began funding it?
Faculty at The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy were taking calls from Tucson pediatricians and others about dangerous household products way back in1955, providing around-the-clock service.
Read a brief story about the beginning of the center
or
Request a copy of the brochure of the center's history printed in 2005 to mark our 50th anniversary. Be sure to give us your name and all the necessary address information to mail your copy.