Section 1200-11-06-.03 - DETERMINATION OF REGIONAL NETWORK AND CENTERS(1) Geographical, characteristics. Due to the geographical uniqueness of the state, the Commissioner has designated four discrete regions in Tennessee that will compose the Tennessee Poison Control Network, as follows: (a) West Tennessee Region - all counties west of the Tennessee River, including Hardin County(b) Middle Tennessee Region - 1. At its western border, all counties which lie east of the Tennessee River, excluding Hardin County2. At its eastern border, Sumner, Trousdale, Wilson, Rutherford, Coffee, Moore and Lincoln3. All counties that lie between(c) Central Tennessee Region - 1. At its western border, Macon, Smith, DeKalb, Cannon, Warren, Grundy and Franklin2. At its eastern border, Pickett, Fentress, Cumberland, Rhea, Meigs, McMinn and Polk3. All counties that lie between(d) East Tennessee Region - all counties east of the Central Tennessee Region(2) To assure efficiency and quality of services, a poison control center will be eligible for designation if it handles a minimum of 10,000 exposure cases per year, including out-of-state calls.(3) The Commissioner may designate one poison control center in each region to implement the poison control program and may designate a center to serve more than one region. However, the Commissioner has the discretion to designate a poison control center in a subregion should it be determined that no center is willing to provide poison control services in an entire region. In no case shall two centers serve the same geographic area.(4) Designation as a regional poison control center will operate on a 48-month cycle as follows: (a) Pursuant to an application process, the Department will designate a regional poison control center on a provisional basis for an initial period of 12 months.(b) At the end of the 12-month provisional period, the Commissioner may:1. Upgrade the provisional status by designating the facility as the official poison control center in the region for an additional period of 36 months. Designation as the official center would be automatic if the facility operated in full compliance with the criteria and standards at the end of the provisional periods;2. The public welfare requiring it, extend the provisional status of the facility for a discretionary period of time to allow the center time to cure any deficiencies; or3. Identify, through another application process, a different facility for designation of a 12-month provisional period if the initial designee did not meet all criteria and standards or chose not to seek recognition as the official poison control center in the region. In this case, the 48-month cycle would be reinitiated.(c) At the end of a completed 48-month cycle, the Department will send written notification to all potential facilities that the designation of the center in a, region(s) has expired. If no other parties apply for designation as a regional poison control center, the Department will establish a streamlined renewal process leading to official designation of the original facility for another 48-month period, upon a determination by the Department that the original facility satisfactorily met the requirements of these program rules.(5) If possible, a center should make a reasonable attempt to provide to the Commissioner a 12-month notification of intent to relinquish its designation as a poison control center.Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1200-11-06-.03
Original rule filed June 22, 1994, effective September 5, 1994. Amendment filed April 29, 1995; effective August 28, 1995.Authority: T.C.A.. §§ 4-5-202, 68-1-103, 68-141-101, 68-141-102 and 68-141-104.