The American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) was recently awarded a five-year, $1 million cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to implement the “Strengthening the Public Health System and Services through a Capacity Building Assistance Program for Medical Toxicologists.”

Phoenix, AZ, Sept. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) is pleased to announce it has been named a recipient of a new five-year cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as part of the Strengthening Public Health Systems and Services through National Partnerships to Improve and Protect the Nation’s Health program. In addition to ACMT, 47 other public health partners, including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Heart Association were recipient organizations.

The CDC “National Partners” program is a capacity-building assistance (CBA) program aimed at increasing the knowledge, skill, and ability to deliver essential public health services, improve organizational and systems capacity and capability to address prioritized, equity-based public health initiatives, and strengthen the nation's public health infrastructure and performance.

According to Paul Wax, MD, FACMT, Executive Director of ACMT, “this project aims to build medical toxicologists’ capacity to provide risk communication support, increase knowledge and awareness of key public health competencies through enhanced trainings, and promote lasting engagement between medical toxicologists and the governmental public health system through the development of a peer-to-peer mentorship network.”

ACMT’s winning proposal, “Strengthening the Public Health System and Services through a Capacity Building Assistance Program for Medical Toxicologists”, highlights medical toxicologists’ critical role to play in public health response, and aims to leverage their valuable expertise in collaboration with governmental public health to improve the quality of essential public health services.

Funding acknowledgement: This agreement will provide $200,000 each year for the next five years to support this project.The project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1M with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents of this communication are those of the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT), and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

About ACMT: The American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) is a professional, nonprofit association of physicians with recognized expertise and board certification in medical toxicology. Our members specialize in the prevention, evaluation, treatment, and monitoring of injury and illness from exposures to drugs and chemicals, as well as biological and radiological agents. ACMT members work in clinical, academic, governmental, and public health settings, and provide poison control center leadership.