Inova HealthSource Awarded Grant for Tobacco Cessation, Prevention

Program to Target Elementary, Middle School Students

Falls Church, VA – (August 24, 2009) – Inova HealthSource’s Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program has received a one-year grant from the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation (a division of the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth) to promote smoking cessation and prevention among elementary- and middle-school students.

The $33,455 grant will help fund after-school programs at 15 Fairfax County elementary and middle schools for the 2009-2010 school year. The goal of the program is to increase awareness of the dangers of tobacco use and to help youth develop the skills to resist peer pressure to experiment with tobacco. The curriculum offered, Life Skills Training (www.lifeskillstraining.com), is an evidence-based, substance-use-prevention program.

“Tobacco use leads to many debilitating yet preventable conditions. Our goal is to provide Fairfax County students with the tools they need to discourage any form of tobacco use,” said Andrea Moore, MPH, CHES, Health Education and Prevention Consultant, Inova HealthSource. “This program is another demonstration of Inova’s commitment to improve the well-being of the communities we serve.”

Inova HealthSource health educators will teach the elementary-school program (eight sessions) and the middle-school program (15 sessions). Sessions, which begin October 15, will last about 45 minutes and include education on a health- or wellness-related topic, and discussion and activities centered around that session’s topic.

The Inova Regional Trauma Center will also collaborate as part of this effort by offering the parental component of the Life Skills Training program. Parents of the children participating will have the opportunity to attend free evening classes that complement the subject matter their children are learning.

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research. Inova provides a healthy environment for its patients, families, visitors, staff and physicians by prohibiting tobacco use on its campuses.