Iowa Poison Control Center

What Iowa Poison Control Center does

The Iowa Poison Control Center (IPCC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2000 and headquartered at 401 Douglas Street, Sioux City, Iowa. It provides 24/7 toll-free telephone access (1-800-222-1222) and online Poison Help Chat for emergency poison information and treatment advice, serving all 99 counties in Iowa free of charge to the public. The center manages over 23,000 cases annually with 50,000 follow-up calls and saves Iowa residents over $12.5 million per year in healthcare costs by resolving more than 90% of public calls at home without hospital referral. Thirty percent of calls come from healthcare providers (physicians, nurses, EMS, pharmacists, physician assistants), making IPCC a working clinical resource for the state's hospital network as well as for the general public.

The center is one of only 53 nationally accredited poison control centers in the United States. Its core technology is the poison information management system used by Certified Specialists in Poison Information (CSPIs), supplemented by the secure online Poison Help Chat platform. Medical direction and toxicology expertise are supplied through a deep partnership with University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, whose medical toxicologists serve as Medical Director, Associate Medical Director, and consultants. IPCC also operates as a teaching site for pharmacy students from four universities (University of Iowa, Drake University, South Dakota State University, and Creighton University), creating a regional talent and training pipeline.

IPCC's business model is funded rather than revenue-generating. As a public-private partnership, the center receives funding from state and federal programs, Iowa hospitals, and private donors. Administrative infrastructure is supported by UnityPoint Health, and the center sits within the America's Poison Centers national accreditation network. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven — prevention campaigns, seasonal safety content, social media outreach, and National Poison Prevention Week — rather than traditional sales. With more than 20 dedicated professionals including physicians, pharmacists, and nurses, IPCC functions as a regulated public health utility rather than a commercial enterprise, making conventional PE/VC/M&A frameworks only partially applicable.

Name

Iowa Poison Control Center

Legal name

Iowa Statewide Poison Control Center

Website

https://iowapoison.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Iowa Poison Control Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing 24/7 free emergency poison information and treatment advice via hotline and online chat to all Iowa residents and healthcare providers. It is one of 53 nationally accredited poison control centers, serving all 99 Iowa counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Poison Control Services

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAJAAAM

Substance Use, Addiction & Harm Reduction Health Departments

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Public Health Agencies & Health Departments

Keywords

• Poison control services
• Emergency toxicology consultation
• Poison prevention education
• Clinical toxicology support
• Medication safety resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Sioux City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Health Funding: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Iowa Poison Control Center operates through strong public-private partnerships with funding from state and federal programs, Iowa hospitals, and private donors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Iowa Poison Control Center provides 24/7 toll-free telephone and online chat access to free, confidential emergency poison information and treatment advice for all residents of Iowa. It is staffed by Certified Specialists in Poison Information (CSPIs) — physicians, nurses, and pharmacists — who assess, triage, and manage poisoning exposures across all 99 Iowa counties. The center also delivers poison prevention education, community outreach, seasonal safety campaigns, and specialized consultation for healthcare providers treating poisoned patients.

Product overview

The Iowa Poison Control Center operates as a unified 24/7 poison emergency service offering multiple access channels: a toll-free telephone hotline (1-800-222-1222) as the core service, supplemented by a Poison Help Chat feature for online real-time assistance. The center provides poison prevention education and outreach programs, distributes free home safety packets, and offers specialized resources for healthcare providers. As one of 53 nationally accredited poison control centers in the United States, the organization manages over 23,000 cases annually and serves all 99 counties in Iowa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Iowa Poison Control Center Hotline
• Poison Help Chat
• Poison Prevention Education and Outreach
• Free Home Packet
• Healthcare Provider Consultation Service

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• UnityPoint HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnityPoint Health provides administrative support and organizational infrastructure for the Iowa Poison Control Center. The center operates under this healthcare system partnership.
• America's Poison CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization that provides accreditation, standards, and support for poison control centers. IPCC staff are certified as Specialists in Poison Information through this organization.
• University of Iowa College of PharmacymoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeaching partnership where the IPCC serves as a rotation site for pharmacy students. Preceptor roles held by IPCC staff who lecture annually at the university.
• Drake University College of PharmacymoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeaching partnership where IPCC staff serve as adjunct faculty and preceptors for pharmacy students on rotation.
• University of Iowa Hospitals and ClinicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical toxicology fellowship and clinical collaboration with UIHC physicians who serve as Medical Director and Associate Medical Director of IPCC.
• South Dakota State University College of PharmacyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmacy student rotation site for South Dakota State University as part of the regional academic partnership network.
• Creighton UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmacy student rotation site for Creighton University students on clinical toxicology rotation at IPCC.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Teladoc Health: Large telehealth platform providing general medical consultation by phone and video. Represents the broader incumbent threat to specialized triage hotlines if general-purpose telehealth absorbs lower-acuity poison exposure calls.

Direct peers

• Florida Poison Information Center Network: Florida's statewide network of accredited poison centers providing 24/7 toxicology consultation. Comparable service model and national accreditation status, with substantially larger scale and call volume.
• Tennessee Poison Center: Vanderbilt University Medical Center-operated statewide poison center. Comparable as a Midwestern/Southern academic medical center-affiliated poison center with similar funding model (state, hospital, and federal support).
• Illinois Poison Center: Illinois's single accredited statewide poison center, operated through the Cook County Health system. A direct peer providing the same hotline, chat, and healthcare provider consultation services across all 102 Illinois counties.
• Cincinnati Children's Drug and Poison Information Center: Pediatric-hospital-based accredited poison center with strong pediatric toxicology focus. Comparable in clinical staffing and academic affiliation, and a useful peer for IPCC's high pediatric case mix (37% under age six).
• Upstate New York Poison Center: Upstate Medical University's accredited poison center serving 54 counties in upstate New York. Directly comparable as an academic medical center-affiliated state poison center with medical toxicology fellowship ties.
• Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Safety: Denver Health's poison and drug safety center serving multiple states with one of the largest call volumes in the national network. Comparable in scope but materially larger; a relevant peer for understanding scaled operations and multi-state service delivery.
• Minnesota Poison Control System: Minnesota's statewide accredited poison center, operated out of Hennepin Healthcare. Directly comparable to IPCC as a state-level 24/7 poison hotline serving a similar Midwestern population with comparable clinical toxicology staffing model.

Regional players

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Federally funded 24/7 crisis hotline for mental health and substance use emergencies. Operates in the adjacent behavioral health triage space and could increasingly intersect with IPCC's overdose and substance use call volume as crisis lines expand clinical capability.

Others

• America's Poison Centers: The national professional association that accredits all 55 U.S. poison centers (including IPCC) and operates the national Poison Help hotline. Not a competitor but a coordinating industry body and funding conduit that IPCC depends on for accreditation and standards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IAPoisonCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/iowapoisoncontrol
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iowa-statewide-poison-control-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/iowapoisoncontrolcenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Iowa Poison Control Center