Westmoreland teams with CARPIN on Zoom push to shield children from household poisons

Westmoreland’s public health team has joined forces with the Caribbean Poison Information Network (CARPIN) to sharpen outreach that targets accidental poisoning among young people living in the parish.

Gerald Miller, the parish’s Health Promotion and Education Officer, said the condition still ranks as a serious population-health worry and keeps turning up in monitoring figures, even as repeated information drives continue.

In remarks to JIS News, he said a joint webinar fixed for 27 May is another plank in the parish drive to spell out, for parents, guardians, and allied partners, why caustic and toxic items at home must be stowed safely. The session will convene on Zoom between 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Planners anticipate the forum will supply actionable knowledge on stopping poisonings, keeping youngsters safer indoors, and simple household habits that can pare back exposure.

“The Westmoreland Health Department is very happy to partner with CARPIN… [which] has been a tower of strength to us. They have always provided support in advancing the war on accidental poison,” Mr. Miller said.

He argued that such poisonings can be stopped altogether, and called for keener watchfulness so minors cannot get at potent cleaners, pesticides, medicines, and similar agents.

“In the 21st century, we shouldn’t be having this kind of problem where children are in a position where they can access harmful substances that can pose a threat to their life and safety,” Mr. Miller maintained.

He said louder, steadier messaging and durable shifts in everyday behaviour are indispensable if the trend is to bend, adding that the department has long used press appearances and open community meetings to hammer the theme.

“To have CARPIN partnering with the Health Promotion Unit at the Westmoreland Health Department in staging this webinar is welcoming, and we hope the participants will get the information and then apply it and share it as best as possible so we can have a paradigm shift… so we can have no accidental poisoning happening in the parish,” Mr. Miller added.

He also recalled earlier Think Tank sessions and numerous broadcast interviews devoted solely to poison avoidance and protecting children.

Mr. Miller underlined that adults in charge of a home must see that chemicals and other risky stock are locked, labelled where needed, and placed well beyond a child’s grasp. Teaching young people why those items are unsafe, he said, also helps drive down mishaps.

“We have to also play our part in sharing the information with the children, as well as taking all the precautions to ensure that these things are not within their reach so the children can have access to them,” he stated.