(Covington, KY) – “Quit for Good,” is the message going out to residents of Covington and Gallatin County, Ky. A unique partnership between the BUILD Health Challenge, a national program that utilizes community partnerships to improve health, and local entities including the Northern Kentucky Regional Alliance, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Interact for Health, the Northern Kentucky Health Department, Three Rivers District Health Department, and The Center for Great Neighborhoods was launched today to help reduce smoking rates in these two areas of northern Kentucky.
Kentucky has the highest smoking rates of any state in the country, with more than 24% of adults in the state reporting that they use tobacco, compared to 13.9% nationwide. This prompted the local group to apply for a grant from the BUILD Health Challenge. The project announced today will incorporate more than $500,000 of funding: $250,000 from the BUILD program which was supported by Interact for Health, as well as $250,000 in matching funds from St. Elizabeth Healthcare, whose stated vision is to “lead northern Kentucky to become one of the healthiest communities in America”.
“Kentucky leads the nation in lung cancer deaths, and smoking related illnesses cost the Commonwealth more than $2 billion annually,” said Karen Finan, President & CEO of the Northern Kentucky Regional Alliance, the local organization that applied for the grant. “We brought together a strong, collaborative group of community partners to make this possible, and the commitment from St. Elizabeth provides a wide range of resources to help us launch and sustain this program”.
The Quit for Good program provides a two-week supply of nicotine patches to residents and workers in Covington and Gallatin County. Available from participating local pharmacies, the patches help aide those who are trying to quit smoking. In addition to the nicotine patches, pharmacists at participating pharmacies can help those interested in quitting smoking connect with other cessation resources.
“St. Elizabeth is proud to work with this group of community organizations and agencies to help combat a major health challenge facing our region”, said Garren Colvin, CEO of St. Elizabeth Healthcare. “We viewed this as not just an opportunity to help further our vision, but a necessity to provide assistance to our neighbors, giving them the support they need to take a step towards a healthier lifestyle”.
An official launch of the Quit for Good campaign takes place on Friday, August 17th at 10:00 a.m. at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Covington. Presenters include Karen Finan, President & CEO – Northern Kentucky Regional Alliance, Garren Colvin, CEO – St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Lynne Saddler, MD., District Director of Health – Northern Kentucky Health Department, Kate Keller, VP Strategy & Policy – Interact for Health, and Dan Petronio, Associate Director – Center for Great Neighborhoods.
“We view this as one of the most important collaborative efforts ever to benefit the overall health of Northern Kentuckians, and we are proud to be a part of this partnership”, said Dr. Lynne Saddler, District Director of Health – Northern Kentucky Health Department. “We are hopeful that when we look back 12 months from now, that we see this as the start toward a healthier Northern Kentucky”.
More information can be found at:
www.quitforgoodcovington.org and www.quitforgoodgallatin.org