HAMPTON, Va., July 8, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The SelfMade Health Network, a national network geared to collaboratively promote tobacco cessation and cancer prevention in low socioeconomic status populations, is honored to announce ten award recipients for their National SelfMade Health Network Tobacco Cessation Marketplace Project. In partnership with the American Lung Association, this multi-year project seeks to reduce tobacco use and lower cancer rates among vulnerable populations by matching patients with evidence-based health resources during their health insurance enrollment process.
As one of the newest members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) consortium of national networks, jointly funded by the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) and Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC), SelfMade Health Network kicks off its mission-related efforts in the launch of the National SelfMade Health Network Tobacco Cessation Marketplace Project. This national initiative involves integrating the American Lung Association (ALA) Assistors Project Toolkit throughout several geographical regions to further reduce some of the nation's leading conditions associated with tobacco use. Using the ALA Toolkit, certified application counselor organization partners and other types of organizations will gain the resources and knowledge to directly connect clients to cancer prevention tools and tobacco cessation programs during the health insurance enrollment and plan selection process.
The National SelfMade Health Network Tobacco Cessation Marketplace Project awardees are:
- Alcohol / Drug Council of North Carolina (North Carolina)
- American Lung Association (West Virginia)
- ACCESS Community Health & Research Center (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services) (Michigan)
- Crozer-Keystone Health System (Pennsylvania)
- Johnson County Public Health (Iowa)
- Harrisburg Area YMCA - Northern Dauphin County Branch (Pennsylvania)
- Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Inc. (Pennsylvania)
- Macoupin County Public Health Department in partnership with Maple Street Medical Clinic (Illinois)
- Mississippi Primary Health Care Association, Inc. (Mississippi)
- Oak Hill Baptist Church Ministries, Inc. Navigator Office (Mississippi)
"In addition to connecting individuals, families, low-income employees and other community members with vital resources to improve their health, this project addresses the Healthy People 2020 national objectives by engaging vulnerable populations and providing increased access and utilization opportunities through the delivery of evidence-based tobacco use screening and tobacco cessation treatment," said Dwana 'Dee' Calhoun, MS, CHES director of the SelfMade Health Network.
As noted in the The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2014 significant disparities connected to tobacco use remain across racial/ethnic groups and among groups defined by socioeconomic status, educational level and region. Grantee organizations are representative of various regions across the U.S., including the Appalachian, Southern, Northeastern and Midwest areas and include government health departments, health systems, non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations and agencies, ensuring numerous disparate populations are serviced through this project.
About SelfMade Health Network:
SelfMade Health Network is a national network of dedicated individuals and communities seeking to eliminate tobacco-related health disparities and promote cancer prevention initiatives in vulnerable populations. It is our mission to educate, empower and mobilize our way to a healthier world. For more information please visit www.selfmadehealth.org or follow us Twitter at @SelfMadeHealth. If you are an organization interested in joining SelfMade Health Network, please email us at info@selfmadehealth.org.