Kentucky could become the only state in the country without access to a poison control center, including the national hotline used by police, hospitals and parents more than 136 times a day for guidance on exposure to opioids and other harmful substances.

Republican Gov. Matt Bevin's two-year spending proposal eliminates state funding for the Kentucky Poison Control Center.

Norton Healthcare, the Louisville-based not-for-profit hospital system, has operated the center for decades. Norton officials say if the program is eliminated callers to the hotline would be greeted with an automatic recording telling them the service is not available in their area and urging them to either call 911 or go to the emergency room.

A Bevin administration spokesman said the state's underfunded public pension system forced officials to make difficult choices.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

2/22/2018 3:37:32 PM (GMT -5:00)