About the BC Drug and Poison Information Centre

The BC Drug and Poison Information Centre (DPIC) was established in 1975 through the cooperative efforts of the Hospital Programs Branch of the BC Ministry of Health and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia (UBC). It is located at the BC Centre for Disease Control in Vancouver and is staffed with pharmacists, nurses, and physicians who have specific expertise in the provision of drug and poison information services.

The original mandate of the Centre called for the development of centralized services to assist health professionals throughout BC in providing optimal levels of drug therapy and poison management. Considerable progress has been made in this respect through expansion of DPIC programs over the ensuing years. Notably, the Centre has assumed provision of poison information services to the BC public, a population of approximately 4.4 million.

Since 2002 DPIC has been affiliated with the BC Centre for Disease Control which is an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), and continues its affiliation with UBC. We are a member of the Canadian Association of Poison Control Centres (CAPCC) and the American Association of Poison Control Centres (AAPCC).