The Tampa Tribune from Tampa, Florida • 76

STATE 2-0 THE TAMPA TRIBUNE, Monday, May 21, 1984 Center can answer urgent calls on possible poisonings Although thousands of families have been helped by the Tampa Bay Regional Poison Control Center at Tampa General Hospital, funding the center is a struggle. I 1 By MARILYN KALFUS Tribune Staff Writer When she saw the empty Ex-Lax box on the bedroom floor, Monnie Young "went crazy hollering" for her two young children. She had only 'been gone about five minutes to put some clothes in the dryer, Young said. Her. fears that the youngsters gobbled up 18 chocolate-covered laxatives were confirmed when she spotted her 2-year-old son, Torlin, with brown smears across his face.

suspected they both ate the whole box between them. But I couldn't get either one of them to tell me how much they ate," she said of Torlin and his sister, 3-year-olfl: Shaneki. Young called her doctor. But he didn't call back until the next she said. 101 course, she didn't wait After calling a Pinellas County hospital, the Pinellas Park woman was told to call the Tampa Bay Regional Poison Control Center at Tampa General Hospital.

"The Poison Control Center, they were right on the ball," Young said. "wlien he (a worker) left the phone gency room bills in Hillsborough County alone, because often people can get the information they need by calling the center and administering treatment at home, instead of rushing to a hospital. In about 20 percent of the cases, people have to be referred to the emergency room anyway, center workers said. There hasn't been' an overwhelming response to the center's search for money. Hillsborough County said no last year, though Hillman said the center will try again.

The United Way of Greater Tampa, citing "intense" competition among local agencies, recently turned them down. But the United Way in Pinellas County kicked in $10,000. There are also plans to approach legislators from other counties and ask the state for funds, Hillman said, because calls come in from throughout Florida. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the center takes in an average of 63 calls a day, up eight calls a day from last year, workers say. The center has on microfilm a list of more than 400,000 toxic items and can quickly check what amount of he wasn't gone more than three minutes, and he had an answer for me." Information specialist Michael Sturgis, who had to act on the assumption that either child could have eaten the whole box, told Young to give the children ipecac syrup, which would induce vomiting.

Fortunately, Young had some on hand. But her reliance on the center didn't stop there. In all her excite-' ment, she said; she had to call back three or, four times. "I was so nervous and excitedf with both of them vomiting, I couldn't remember anything," Young said. "I said, 'I'm sorry to bother you, but man, I need to know what's going The center helps a lot of families like the Youngs; 53 percent of the 20,000 calls it receives each year in-' volve children younger than 5 years old who have swallowed too much of something that could hurt them.

Though Tampa General provided the center with $170,000 this year in space, resources and sal- aries for six staffers, according to the center's Medical Director Drv James Hillman, the center is trying to drum up financial support elsewhere. The hospital has not threatened to cut funding, but "That's a big danger," Hillman said. "They're having a lot of problems and they're looking at departments that aren't generating revenue. "The problem with poison control centers is they don't make money, they save money," said Hillman, who directs the hospital's pediatric emergency room and donates his time to the center. He estimated the 2-year-old center saves about $200,000 to $300,000 a year in emer exposure is dangerous and what course of action to take.

Center workers also follow up on cases. As in the case of Monnie Young's children, Ex-Lax is a favorite among curious little chocolate lovers. But 'the laxative can bring on diarrhea and with it severe dehydration if too much is eaten. Said Steve Meyer, the center's coordinator, "Kids eat them right in the supermarket We've gotten calls from the cashier, the kid's been eating them in the checkout line." Additional common problems for parents with toddlers are aspirin and other over-the-counter drugs. Even plants, which kids like to eat, can pose a threat Pokeweed, for instance, can harm the central nervous system; Lantana can cause liver damage.

About 30 percent of the calls come in between 4 and 7 p.m., when mothers are busy with dinner, center workers said. have an instinctual knowledge: 'Ha, mom's busy with something else, I'm gonna get Into Hillman said. Recently the center was certified by the American Association of Poison Control Centers. The president of that group, Dr. Barry Ru-mack of Denver, said the center is one of 29 certified out of 480 poison control centers nationwide.

Rumack said none of the 20 other poison control operations in Florida are certified. Certification hinges on meeting such requirements as providing round-the-clock service, and having a medical director, trained staffers, and a continu- Dr. James Hillman ing education program. "None of the others have been close enough to the criteria to have even applied," he said. "There's no other regional center in the state," said Nancy Albu-" querque, community education coordinator for the center.

"There are phones on the walls of emer-gency rooms. Our people do only poison control." The center's toll free number is 1-800-282-3171 for people who live outside Hillsborough County. Hillsborough residents can dial 251-6995. It's a number that Monnie Young plans to keep handy, after her chil-. drens' ordeal, "We had a very long discussion," she said.

"And they tell me, 'No more. We won't get into the 'frigerator no more, Free coupling maneuver. Metrorail is Florida's first rapid transit system and is one other major cities in the United States are watching. The federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration paid 80 percent of Metrorail's billion-dol-' lar pricetag. Local funding sources are expected to support its operation henceforth.

open. The northern link of 10 stations is scheduled to open by next May. The trains ran slowly Sunday, about 20 minutes apart instead of the 12-minute intervals transportation officials had planned. Forty Metrorail cars have been delivered, but the system opened with just' 16 in operation. Six cars were damaged April 29 when two trains collided during a Modisette said he expected ridership continue to be good, even after the opening an exceptional ride.

Comfort is- good, and what you see is good. People are going to like it, they are going to ''enjoyi it," Modesette said. After Metrorail will fun" from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. five days a week.

Tickets will cost $1 and transit officials expect 6,000 riders a day between the 10 stations now From Page IB "This morning I could sit down. Now, forget it." a 26-year old Iandscaper, said. He said be wanted to compare Metrorail with New York's rapid-transit system. "This is nothing like New York. It's quiet.

It doesn't rock," he said: Zoo From Page IB Neutral Zone Technique Developed at Temple University School of Dentistry Designed to: 1) Improve retention fc stability 2) Improve mastication 3) contour surfaces to each patients individual tongue, lip cheek movements 4) Improve esthetic appearance Neutral Zone dentures are designed to be more comfortable and more In harmony with normal oral functions. Neutral Zone dentures are guaranteed. Full refund If not satisfied. Br. Joseph P.

Variable, P.A. Porter said people will get excited, when they sec things happening at the zoo. "I seeimy role as refining what has already been done," Porter said regarding the preliminary renovation proposed by Ace Torre of sign Consortium. Porter said he and city Parks Director Ross Ferlita will be visiting the Audubon Zoological Park, which Design Consortium put together, in early June. But Porter stressed, "we don't want tp copy what has been' done there.

We want to build on what they've done." Porter said he has no favorite animal. ''It sounds but I really do like them all." But he has some ideas on what should eventually be added to the Lowry Park Zoo. He cited "the lack of real nice bird collection," noting that "the climate is ideal for tropical birds." In addition, Porter said he would like to see "added hoof stock" at some point, such as zebra and giraffe. But Porter said initial efforts will be aimed at getting the zoo's existing animals out of their caged environment, i The Design Consortium plan also calls for additions, as advocated by Porter, with a bird aviary and open uncaged areas for animals like giraffe and zebras. Currently, Porter said he is making an inventory of all the zoo animals and learning their names.

Some of the animals, like Shena the zoo's 25-year-old elephant, have names posted on their pens or cages. But Porter said keepers have given each animal a name, even if it isn't posted, and he is gradually learning the animals by name. He is also making plans. Porter said the zoo will hold teachers' workshops which will help teachers in using the zoo for educational purposes. Eventually, Porter hopes to have an educational staff at the zoo, and he plans to be active in the fund-raising efforts of the Lowry Park Zoo Association.

"We hope to involve the whole community," Porter said, as he details a game plan much different from those he once carried out on the basketball court but with the same goal of winning. ideas. It's a tremendous opportunity," he said. Porter said he made other job changes "as stepping stones" to advance his' career and salary. But now Porter said he is where he wants to stay.

The zoo boss said the renovation of the Tampa zoo is off to a good start with the preliminary plan prepared by Design Consortium and the pfedge by Mayor Bob Martinez to get the phase one $5 million remodeling under way with city money through a short-term loan or issuance of bonds. 4600 N. HABANA AVE. SUITE 1 1 which smokers quit4M Bis program i ACUTCXrcZ IS PA1ME3S; USSS 110 DUOS Smoking "without that I Mil! quit in the program. "I was very disgusted with myself," said Terry Harding, who did not quit during her second time through Witmer's course and plans a third try.

"It was my own dumb fault" Others say the program only reinforces existing willpower. "I dont really think it's the program. I think if you really want to quit you do," said Mary Zinn, who smoked for 42 years and started again after a week free of the habit. Bolstered by the 3,000 smokers he claims his program has attracted, Witmer said plans call for expansion of his business to weight-control and stress-reduction courses. In addition, a book and a mail-order program are in the works, he said.

Witmer declines to disclose his business revenues, but the program fee varies from $85 to $125 a person. "I've come out extremely well," he said. tion of his legal entanglements, say-, ing that they are "history and have little relevance to his current business. The success of his program, Witmer said, should determine his credibility. And the success, he said, hinges on his carefully: researched subliminal stop-smoking suggestions recorded beneath a music track on cassette tapes.

He said the messages bypass the conscious mind and directly reach the subconscious. He calls the technique "brainwashing," and "conditioning." He said the Army taught him the basic techniques as part of intelligence operations at Johns Hopkins University in 1960. An Army official said it does not release military record information. Many of his clients praise Witmer's abilities. "This is the best program, really, that I've ever seen," said Frances Luke, who smoked for 41 years andquit on March 30.

Witmer trumpets the ease with by listening to the tapes several times daily, the smokers reinforce the subliminal persuasion. Although he won't reveal the messages, Witmer said an example is, "Your cigarettes taste like burning leaves." During the program sessions, smokers hear similar tapes in a dark room while a flashing strobe light and another light that looks like a bloody dinner plate command their attention. Witmer talks to the smokers using his monotone voice to encourage their relaxation, he said. The smokers also do plenty of smoking in class, taking light, rapid puffs from numerous cigarettes in a short period. Witmer said this encourages smokers to develop an aversion to their beloved habit as the room becomes cloaked in a haze of eye-watering, throat-choking smoke.

Some smokers blame themselves and not Witmer when they fail to FREE FIRST VISIT Dr. Mark Tang, Director of the Chines Acupuncture Clinic and a certified licensed Florida Acupuncturist, says acupuncture is an ancient Chinese healing art. It is a medical treatment in which fine needles are inserted into specific points of the body for the relief of poJn or the restoration of function. When performed by a competent ocupuncturist such as Dr. Tang, acupuncture is safer than drugs because it cannot cause allergic reactions or toxicity of any kind, it Is safer than surgery since it does not destroy tissue or cause bleeding.

There is a wide variety of illnesses which acupuncture may treat. Included are migraine, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, low bock pain, sciatica, chronic headaches and pain complicating' almost any medical problem which has been thoroughly diagnosed and treated but in which the pain has been unable to be controlled. Spring Hill -683-8301 New Port Rlchey -8487559 Port Rlchey-863-8728 Tampa 238-7846 From Page IB charge, according to court documents. Witmer allegedly made the threat after the director severed the teaching arrangement because she said Witmer took students' money and failed to give them promised course court records state. Witmer denies this, as well.

In 1979 in Tallahassee, a jury found Witmer not guilty of battery case involving a man and bis JTJJ who both took Witmer's stop-smoking course, Leon County Court records state. The man alleged that during a confrontation, Witmer pruck him on the shoulder with an ashtray filled with cigarette butts and- grabbed him by his shirt, according to court records. SWitmer told the Tribune the man Invented the 1978 incident -He also said he objects to men-. Dr. FongandDr.

Tang Florida Licensed Acupuncturists Sun Yet Sin Medical College 24 Years Experience Ca St. Petersburg -8234472 Clearwater 536-5652 Palm Harbor -780020 Lowest scheduled fares from Tampa: lKruraT)rV Ir Month Dafe Year JX Birthday Z3 ST i 1 1-1 'V 1 Official Entry Form Game 4 Fill in your birthday month, date and year. Then, below each, write the day it appears this week in The Vnur Month Date Year The only non-stop service to Birthday Day LONDON Official months, dates and years for: 521 appeared Mail to: The Birthday Game, P.O. Box 1651, Tampa, FL 33601-4005 Non-stop service to Month February December Date 3, 14, 16, 20, 22, 31. Game number must appear on the lower left comer of your envelope.

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If sports is your thing, you should be reading Tom McEwen in The Tribune.