Independence Blue Cross/Pennsylvania Blue Shield And The Poison Control Center Launch New Education Program For Children

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PHILADELPHIA, April 11 -- Children under the age of five are in danger of suffering serious injury or even death as a result of accidental poisonings. While adults can read warning labels an household products and medications, children have no idea what these labels mean, and as a result, cannot distinguish between substances that are harmful and those that are not.

In an effort to help children learn about what poisons look like, what forms they come in and how they could be hurt by them, a new Healthy Lifestyles program called "Poison Proof" was created by a partnership between Independence Blue Cross, Pennsylvania Blue Shield and Keystone Health Plan East in conjunction with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and the Poison Control Center. It is part of a series of wellness initiatives spearheaded by the company's Preventive Health Services department.

A key component of the program is a specially designed sticker featuring "Mr. Yuk," as well as the name and telephone number of the Poison Control Center should an emergency occur. Mr. Yuk's frown and negative expression indicate to children that the product it is affixed to is not desirable to ingest. While the classic skull and crossbones symbol is very effective for adults, to children this warning means nothing, and in fact could even signal to a child that the item is okay to chew or swallow.

"It's simply not enough to teach children to keep away from areas where dangerous products are stored," said C. Fred DiBona, president and CEO of Independence Blue Cross. "Even though a child may keep away from the medicine cabinet they can still eat an aspirin from their mother's purse, drink drain cleaner from a bottle left on a counter, or ingest gas left in a bright container in the garage or backyard."

DiBona added that the program grew out of an alarming realization that poisonings among young children are on the rise. In fact in the Philadelphia area alone, there were more than 22,450 more cases of child poisonings during 1995, and so far this year more than 4,000 have been reported.

In addition to the children's stickers, the program includes a series of flash cards that help adults teach children under age five the types of poisons they might encounter, as well as what the containers that hold these dangerous products look like. The cards instruct children to ask an adult before touching, smelling or tasting items in their home, or others that they might encounter in the playground or in school.

According to the Poison Control Center, more than 90% of poisonings are accidental and occur in the home. Common household products such as cleansers, detergents, cosmetics, mouthwash and even plants are involved in more than 50 percent of all poisoning. Forty-seven percent of poisonings reported come from common pharmaceutical products -- cough and cold medicines, vitamins and prescription drugs.

DiBona added that parents can prevent poisonings in the home by following some very simple guidelines:

• Store cleaners, medicines, cosmetics and other substances out of children's reach. Keep products in their original containers and do not put cleaners in food or drink storage containers
• Never call medicine "candy" and do not take medicines in front of children
• Place safety latches on all drawer or cabinets containing harmful products and use child resistant packages. Have one ounce of syrup of Ipecac per child in the home at all times, and post the Poison Control Center and other emergency numbers by the telephone
• Never administer Ipecac without instructions from a doctor or the Poison Control Center
• Place the Mr. Yuk stickers on poisonous chemicals so children will know to stay away from them and teach children what the Mr. Yuk symbol means
• Remain calm should a poisoning occur and call the Poison Control Center at 800-722-7112 outside Philadelphia and 215-386-2100 in the city

For more information on how to enroll in the Poison Proof program, call Independence Blue Cross Healthy Lifestyles Service Team at 800-916-7700. In addition to quantities of the Mr. Yuk sticker, recipients will receive a coupon entitling them to a free syrup of Ipecac, Poison Safety Checklist, which helps inventory poisonous materials in the home, in addition to a Poison Control Brochure that identifies poisonous items found in the home and recommendations for eliminating their exposure to children.

Independence Blue Cross, headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, is one of the largest Blue Cross Plans in the U.S. serving more than 2.2 million members in the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania region. IBC and its subsidiary operations had more than $2.3 billion in operating income, $50 million in investment income and $32.5 million in not operating income.

In partnership with Pennsylvania Blue Shield the company created one of the nation's fastest growing HMOs, Keystone Health Plan East. In 1995, Keystone was granted full-accreditation by the National Council of Quality Assurance, an important designation for its 582,000 members. IBC also launched its popular Personal Choice product which has seen tremendous growth in the last two-and-a half years with more than 440,000 members, and in 1995 the company expanded into New Jersey and Delaware with a wholly-owned subsidiary, AmeriHealth, with more than 47,000 members. The company also provides a variety of benefit programs for low-income and uninsured populations including children and individuals on medical assistance.

CONTACT: Dick Doran of Independence Blue Cross, 215-241-3131, or Dava Guerin or Wendy Kapnek of Guerin and Kapnek Communications, 215-784-9060, or mobile, 215-803-9086, for IBC