FOR RELEASE July 26, 2004
Contact: Heather McClurg
Director of Communications
314.345.5500 office

Foundation Kicks Off Tobacco Prevention Initiative

Nine-year initiative will spend $40 million to reduce tobacco use

St. Louis, July 26- The Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) has launched its Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Initiative to address one of Missouri's major health issues.

The Foundation's Board of Directors approved $4.5 million to be awarded in 2004 and agreed to continue funding grants under this initiative through 2014. Over the nine-year life of this initiative, MFH plans to award $40 million to projects directed at reducing tobacco use in the Foundation's service region, which includes 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis.

"The board decided that in order to effectively impact a major health issue like tobacco use, the Foundation would need to commit a significant amount of resources over a period of time to truly address the problem," said Dr. James Kimmey, president and chief executive officer of MFH.

Statistics indicate that Missouri ranks at or near the bottom when it comes to funding smoking cessation programs and that tobacco use results in the premature deaths of 10,300 Missourians each year. The Missouri smoking rate is the ninth-highest in the country.

To tackle the problem, MFH has implemented a comprehensive approach that involves broad regional efforts and community-based activities. Coordination of this multi-phase plan will provide the greatest impact toward reducing tobacco use among Missourians.

More details on the 2004 grant requirements, including the complete application, may be found by visiting the Foundation's Web site at www.mffh.org

Established in January of 2000 through the for-profit conversion of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri, MFH is the largest health care foundation in the state and the second largest health conversion foundation in the country. Its vision is to improve the health of the people in the communities it serves. The Foundation is in its third year of grantmaking. Current assets exceed $1 billion.

For additional information regarding MFH, call (314) 345-5500 or (800) 655-5560.

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