Northern New England Poison Center

What Northern New England Poison Center does

The Northern New England Poison Center (NNEPC) is a not-for-profit regional poison control center headquartered at 22 Bramhall Street in Portland, Maine, serving the residents of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The organization provides 24/7 free, confidential poison emergency services via three access channels: a toll-free phone hotline (1-800-222-1222), a website-based live chat, and SMS text (text POISON to 85511). Services are staffed by poison specialists and board-certified toxicologists, with clinical consultation also available to healthcare providers. NNEPC manages approximately 90% of poisoning cases at home without requiring an emergency room visit, and handles roughly 500 calls per year from school nurses across the three-state region.

The organization's product portfolio extends beyond the emergency hotline to include an A-Z Poison Index online reference database, clinical resources for healthcare providers (treatment fact sheets, protocols, antidote management charts, and webinars on opioids, synthetic drugs, e-cigarettes, and marijuana), poison prevention education programs for schools (Spike Education Program, R U Prepared?, Middle/High School Lessons), and two podcast series (Poison Center Pointers and Poison Ed). The Poison Perils with Frank & Louise narrative content series and downloadable materials (medication calendars, fact sheets, posters) extend the educational reach. The operating technology stack is conventional: a website at nnepc.org, standard call center infrastructure, and social media presence on Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, and Pinterest. No proprietary AI/ML systems, APIs, or mobile applications are disclosed.

NNEPC operates as a not-for-profit funded primarily through state and federal government grants supplemented by tax-deductible public donations. The organization has no parent company, no institutional investors, and no acquisition activity. All services are provided free of charge to end users, with no individual pricing tier or fee structure. Revenue model is therefore a combination of government grants and charitable contributions, with the organization explicitly noting that past state and federal funding cuts forced service reductions. The Medical Director, Mark Neavyn, an emergency physician, provides medical oversight.

Name

Northern New England Poison Center

Legal name

Northern New England Poison Center

Website

https://nnepc.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Northern New England Poison Center is a not-for-profit regional poison control center providing free, 24/7 toxicology hotline, chat, and SMS services to residents of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, with clinical consultation and education programs for healthcare providers, schools, and families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

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. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization is a not-for-profit that accepts tax-deductible donations from the public to support outreach activities and maintain poison hotline services.
2. Government Funding: State and federal funding supports core operations. The organization notes that cuts in state and federal funding several years ago forced scaling back of services to maintain the poison hotline.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Northern New England Poison Center is a not-for-profit regional poison control center providing free, 24/7 expert poison emergency guidance to residents of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont via a toll-free hotline (1-800-222-1222), live chat, and SMS (text POISON to 85511). The center also delivers clinical toxicology consultation and resources to healthcare providers and conducts poison prevention education programming for schools, families, and communities.

Product overview

The Northern New England Poison Center operates as a single unified poison control service providing 24/7 emergency response across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The core service combines a toll-free hotline (1-800-222-1222), live chat, and text messaging (POISON to 85511) staffed by poison specialists. The offering is supplemented by an A-Z Poison Index database, clinical resources for healthcare providers including antidote management and treatment protocols, professional webinars, and poison prevention education programs including the Spike Education Program and R U Prepared? curriculum. Additional resources include two podcast series (Poison Center Pointers and Poison Ed), self-harm prevention toolkits, downloadable materials like medication calendars, and educational content featuring the Poison Perils with Frank & Louise character series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Poison Center Pointers: A podcast series featuring poison prevention tips and discussions with poison center staff.
• Poison Ed Podcast
• Poison Perils with Frank & Louise

Products and services

• Poison Hotline 24/7 toll-free emergency hotline (1-800-222-1222) staffed by poison specialists providing immediate expert guidance for poison exposures, medication errors, and poison-related questions for residents of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
• Live Chat Poison Service Real-time online chat service on the NNEPC website allowing users to connect directly with poison specialists for poison emergencies and questions during available hours.
• Text Poison Service SMS-based poison emergency service where users text POISON to 85511 to connect with poison specialists via mobile text message.
• A-Z Poison Index Comprehensive online database providing poison information and guidance for thousands of substances, organized alphabetically for quick consumer reference.
• Clinical Resources for Healthcare Providers Specialized resources for healthcare professionals including treatment fact sheets, protocols, antidote management guidance, and emergency preparedness materials for terrorism and disaster response.
• Poison Prevention Education Programs Educational materials and programming for schools and communities, including the Spike Education Program, R U Prepared?, and Middle/High School Lessons covering medication safety and substance abuse topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of poisoning cases managed at home without requiring emergency room visit
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pittsburgh Poison Center (UPMC): Regional poison control center operating 24/7 hotline serving Pennsylvania, providing clinical toxicology consultation and public education—the most operationally comparable peer to NNEPC.
• Minnesota Poison Center: Regional poison center serving Minnesota with telephone hotline, clinical consultation for healthcare providers, and public education programs—direct operational equivalent.
• Georgia Poison Center: Statewide poison center providing 24/7 emergency response, healthcare provider consultation, and toxicology education—shares NNEPC's mission, channel mix, and public/non-profit structure.
• Blue Ridge Poison Center (University of Virginia): Regional poison center affiliated with UVA Health serving Virginia with telephone consultation and public education—comparable academic-medical-center hosting model.
• Maryland Poison Center: University of Maryland-affiliated poison center serving the state with 24/7 hotline, clinical toxicology expertise, and prevention education—same mission, similar funding profile.
• California Poison Control System: Statewide network of poison control centers providing 24/7 hotline and clinical consultation across California—same operational model at larger regional scale.
• Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Safety: Designated regional poison center serving multiple Mountain West states with 24/7 hotline, clinical toxicology services, and drug safety surveillance—directly comparable in mission and funding model.
• Illinois Poison Center: Statewide poison control center providing 24/7 emergency hotline and public education in Illinois—same operational model, similar headcount range, and similar regulatory designation.

Emerging players

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Federally funded 24/7 crisis hotline for mental health and suicide prevention—overlapping with NNEPC's suicide-attempt case load and self-harm prevention resources, serving similar populations in crisis.

Broad incumbents

• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: Fee-based 24/7 animal poison hotline staffed by veterinary toxicologists—comparable service model for the pet owner segment NNEPC also addresses, but operates on commercial rather than grant/donation funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NNEPC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NNEPoisonCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/NNEPC
• Pinterestpinterest.com/NNEPoisonCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northern-new-england-poison-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Northern New England Poison Center