A poison prevention program for new mothers.

A program was developed to teach new parents about poison prevention and to introduce syrup of ipecac into their homes. Although the incidence of accidental poisonings is low in newborns, the objective of the program was to educate the parents before the child reaches the age when poison accidents are more likely to occur. To accomplish this a special packet was created which contained poison prevention literature and a redeemable coupon for a free one ounce bottle of syrup of ipecac. The packets were distributed to the new mothers during the postpartum hospital stay by the obstetrical nursing staff. Over 10,000 new mothers received the packets during a 10-month period. This program was funded by a grant from the Hennepin County Community Health Department and the syrup of ipecac was donated by a local retail pharmacy chain.