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Washington Poison Center: Integra customer since 2009

Customer Since: 2009

Year Established: 1993

Employees: 20

Principals:
James Williams, Executive Director

Interesting Fact:
The Washington Poison Center is the only independent, non-profit Poison Center in the U.S.

Address:
155 NE 100th Street, #100 Seattle, WA 98125-8007

Map Location »

Phone:
1-800-222-1222

Web site:
www.wapc.org

Washington Poison Center

If you ever find yourself wondering whether your child just drank Gatorade or antifreeze, your next move will likely be a conversation with Mr. Yuk™.

Ok, perhaps not the green, sour-faced, warning sticker mascot, but rather one of the highly trained and knowledgeable staff members of the Washington Poison Center.

At 1-800-222-1222, the Washington Poison Center (WAPC) provides free, confidential telephone advice and treatment assistance in cases of accidental (or otherwise) exposure to poisonous, hazardous or toxic substances. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the WAPC aids everyone from children through the elderly, non-native speakers (in up to 140 languages), and even pets.

A call to WAPC can save a life or, at the very least, an expensive trip to the emergency room. Jim Williams, WAPCs executive director, estimates that calls to the poison center reduce health care costs by 700% when its services are accessed first.

Staffed by nurses, pharmacists and toxicologists, the service took 85,280 calls in 2009 from local citizens and other health providers. The WAPC resolves 94% of its general public cases by telephone, and dispatches 911 and other emergency services when it cannot. Due to their extensive poison database, they are often called by emergency rooms throughout the state, since many ER doctors are not heavily trained in toxicology.

At the heart of the WAPC is the call center, which staffs up to 5 operators around the clock. And since time is of the essence in potential poison crises, communication services are critical.

Thats where Integra enters the story. "We were looking to consolidate all of our communications needs under one contract," says Jim Williams. In 2009, Integra was chosen to install and maintain a new Voice over IP (VoIP) telephone system, "Which," Williams says, "has done so much to simplify our life."

"We now have our service and hardware under one contract and one point of contact. And the flexibility of the VoIP system allows some of our operators to work remotely."

Jim Williams shares, "Integra helped us make a smooth transition. Were really happy - in fact, our Integra rep still comes by to see how things are going. Thats quite a difference from our experience before."

For more information about Washington Poison Center, please visit www.wapc.org