Anthem Continues Commitment to Smoking Cessation
(October 26, 2011)—
Funding to Support American Lung Association Programs for Youth, Adults
Contact:
Dona Wininsky, American Lung Association in Wisconsin
262-709-4840/414-426-3086 (cell)
Scott Larrivee, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
262-523-4746/262-349-6362 (cell)
BROOKFIELD, WI (October 24, 2011) - The American Lung Association in Wisconsin (ALA.W) has received a $75,000 grant from the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation (Foundation).
The Foundation awarded the funding for two smoking cessation programs, one for adults and the other specifically designed for teen smokers. The programs will help smokers who are addicted to tobacco be successful in quitting.
Freedom From Smoking® (FFS) is the Lung Association’s gold standard program for adult smoking cessation. It is a six-session group program that helps smokers identify their smoking patterns, set a quit date, and arm them with tools to keep them smoke free. FFS is run by a trained facilitator who has received extensive training in smoking cessation and counseling.
N-O-T (Not On Tobacco) is a gender-specific, youth program that addresses the unique needs of today’s teen smokers. The ten-session curriculum is offered at schools and covers the entire quitting process, including preventing relapse. The program is one of the most effective in the nation, boasting a quit rate of 19 – 37 percent, depending on year and school.
“We’re proud to support the American Lung Association because they share our commitment to improving health throughout Wisconsin,” said Larry Schreiber, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin. “Half of all health care costs are the result of poor lifestyle decisions, such as smoking. That’s why this grant is so important. If we can help more teens and adults quit smoking, we can avoid costly diseases such as cancer and help our friends and neighbors their best lives possible.”
Sue Swan, Executive Director of the American Lung Association in Wisconsin added, “The Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation has been a loyal and committed partner in helping people quit smoking. 70 percent of all smokers say they want to quit, and this grant makes it possible for us to offer them the resources they need to be successful. We’re grateful that the Foundation’s dedication to helping people adopt healthy lifestyles so closely aligns with our mission to promote lung health and prevent lung disease.”
About the American Lung Association
For more than 100 years, the American Lung Association in Wisconsin has been fighting lung disease through education, community service, advocacy and research. We are working to help those who suffer from lung disease today and to stop the spread of lung disease tomorrow. Our team of dedicated staff and volunteers are poised to help the nearly 756,000 Wisconsin residents living with chronic lung disease. We are very proud of our strong local presence and the fact that the monies raised in Wisconsin remain here to support our mission in the fight against lung disease.
Our local program areas include: Tobacco Prevention and Cessation, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Lung Cancer, Asthma, Environmental Health, and other Lung Diseases. We are committed to applying our extensive national expertise, proven educational programs, and fundraising efforts in fighting lung disease in communities and neighborhoods throughout the state.
About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation
Through charitable grant making, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation LLC, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, promotes Anthem’s inherent commitment to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield serves. The Foundation focuses its funding on strategic initiatives that address and provide innovative solutions to health care challenges, as well as promoting the Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative that targets specific disease states and medical conditions. These include: prenatal care in the first trimester, low birth weight babies, cardiac morbidity rates, long term activities that decrease obesity and increase physical activity, diabetes prevalence in adult populations, adult pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations and smoking cessation. The Foundation also coordinates the company’s annual associate giving campaign and its parent foundation provides a 50 percent match of associates’ campaign pledges.
®ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. To learn more about the Foundation please visit www.wellpointfoundation.org.
About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin ("BCBSWi") underwrites or administers the PPO and indemnity policies; Compcare Health Services Insurance Corporation ("Compcare") underwrites or administers the HMO policies; and Compcare and BCBSWi collectively underwrite or administer the POS policies. Independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ® ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin is available at www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/healthjoinin, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HealthJoinIn, or visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/healthjoinin.
