[Federal Register: December 1, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 230)]
[Notices]               
[Page 69942-69943]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01de04-78]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-0450X]

 
Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a 
list of information collection requests under review by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call 
the CDC Reports Clearance Officer at (404) 498-1210 or send an e-mail 
to omb@cdc.gov. Send written comments to CDC Desk Officer, Human 
Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room 
10235, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-6974. Written 
comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Evaluation of the Poison Help Campaign to Enhance Public Awareness 
of the National Poison Toll-Free Number, Poison Center Access, and 
Poison Prevention--New--National Center for Injury Control and 
Prevention (NCIPC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
    Background and brief description:
    Every day more than 6,000 calls about poison emergencies are placed 
to poison control centers (PCCs) throughout the United States. Although 
PCCs clearly save lives and reduce healthcare costs, the system that 
delivers care and prevents poisoning is comprised of more than 131 
telephone numbers and thousands of disjointed local prevention efforts. 
As a result public and professional access to an essential emergency 
service has been hampered by a confusing array of telephone numbers and 
by an inability to mount a full-fledged national poison center 
awareness campaign.
    The Poison Control Center Enhancement and Awareness Act of 2000 
(Pub. L. 106-174) was signed into legislation in February 2000 with the 
intent to provide assistance for poison prevention and to stabilize 
funding of regional PCCs. In October 1999, in response to the impending 
passage of this legislation, CDC and the Health Services Resource 
Administration (HRSA) began funding and administering a cooperative 
agreement with the American Association of Poison Control Centers 
(AAPCC). The agreement called for the establishment of a National 
Poison Prevention and Control Program. The purpose of this program is 
to support an integrated system of poison prevention and control 
services including: coordination of all PCCs through development, 
implementation, and evaluation of standardized public education; 
development of a plan to improve national toxicosurveillance and data 
systems; and support of a national public service media campaign.
    The purpose of the national media campaign is to launch a national 
toll-free helpline entitled Poison Help (1-800-222-1222) that the 
general public, health professionals, and others can use to access 
poison emergency services and prevention information 24 hours a day, 
seven days a week. The campaign was launched nationally in January 2002 
with a special interest in targeting high-risk populations such as 
parents of children under age 6, older adults between 60-80 years of 
age, and underserved groups who are often not reached effectively 
through public health communication efforts.
    Two telephone surveys will be conducted to assess the reach and 
impact of campaign activities and the overall effectiveness of the 
awareness campaign. The High-Risk Population Survey will be conducted 
with parents of children under age 6 to assess their awareness of the 
national toll-free number, awareness of PCCs and the services they 
provide, and poison prevention knowledge. The High-Risk Population 
Survey was originally intended to also gather information from older 
adults ages 60-80, however, limited resources necessitate that the data 
collection focus on poisonings among young children, which represent 
more than half of all unintentional poisonings. The Helpline Caller 
Survey will be conducted with persons who have contacted a PCC to 
ascertain whether callers have seen or heard Poison Help prevention 
messages, their awareness of the 1-800-222-1222 number and how they 
learned of it, and how they rate the ease of accessing poison emergency 
services or

[[Page 69943]]

prevention information. There is no cost to respondents other than 
their time. The estimated annualized burden is 157 hours.
    Annualized Burden Table:

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                                                                                     Number of    Average burden/
                           Respondents                               Number of      responses/      respondents
                                                                    respondents     respondents     (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Screened Households:
    Helpline Callers............................................             430               1           .5/60
    High-Risk Population........................................            1400               1            1/60
Respondents:
    Helpline Callers............................................             300               1           10/60
    High-Risk Population........................................             600               1            8/60
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    Dated: November 24, 2004.
B. Kathy Skipper,
Acting Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 04-26487 Filed 11-30-04; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4163-18-P