In 1956, Dr. Winona Campbell realized that a crucial city service was missing from Denver: a place for worried parents to call when they thought a child may have ingested poison. Dr. Campbell and the administration of then-Denver General, established the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center (RMPDC), which began answering call from a small closet on the pediatric ward.
Pediatricians on duty managed the calls using reference books and filing cards. With a budget of $9,000, the center answered 1,194 calls during its first year of operation.
Today, the RMPDC has grown to a 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, call center managing nearly 400,000 cases each year. With a staff of 160 employees, the RMPDC is the primary resource for worried parents and others throughout Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Hawaii and Nevada.
Specially trained health care staff, including registered nurses, pharmacists and medical toxicologists, provide medical information and cutting edge treatment recommendations to parents as well as other physicians, health care providers, organization, corporations and manufacturers in the nation.
Today, the RMPDC is comprised of three specialized call centers and two support departments: