January 6, 2006
Contact: Bev Pfeifer-Harms
Director of Communications
314.345.5500 office

Miller County Health Department Receives $133,000

MFH awards grant to help educate youths and assist adults in kicking habit

St. Louis - Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) has awarded a $133,131 grant to Miller County Health Department (MCHD) as part of MFH's nine-year, $40 million Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Initiative.

MCHD received the community grant to implement three tobacco prevention and cessation programs for residents of Miller County. The programs, Employer Assisted Smoking Elimination (EASE), Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU) and Freedom From Smoking (FFS), are nationally recognized curricula created by the American Lung Association of Missouri. The Lung Association received a regional grant from MFH in 2004 to expand training for community organizations interested in implementing the three programs. Per the initiative's guidelines, community grant recipients, such as MCHD, implement the regional grantees' programs in order to maximize the consistency and effectiveness of messages, models and activities aimed at curbing tobacco use.

MCHD estimates the programs will help educate at least 1,100 Miller County residents about the dangers of smoking and give them the needed resources to successfully kick the habit.

"Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S. and results in the death of 10,300 Missourians each year," said Dr. James Kimmey, MFH president and CEO. "The Foundation is confident that the Miller County Health Department will help many individuals stop smoking and prevent many others from starting."

MFH's Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Initiative focuses on three areas - school-based prevention programming, workplace cessation programming and an increase of the state tobacco tax. MFH already has granted about $6.8 million to nine regional and community organizations in this effort.

Established in 2000, MFH is the largest non-governmental funder of community health activities in the state. The Foundation is in its fourth year of grantmaking, having issued more than $148 million in grants and awards to date. It is dedicated to serving the uninsured and underserved in 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis. For more information about MFH, visit www.mffh.org.

# # #

View other releases.