Breathing Easier Together Program to Expand to Three Counties

July 9, 2008 – (Fort Smith, AR) Breathing Easier Together, a smoking cessation program hosted by the St. Edward Mercy Health System, is expanding its services to Scott and Crawford Counties. The previous program covered only Sebastian County.

The Breathing Easier Together program is dedicated to the eradication of tobacco addiction for the community, especially in minority areas. The program is funded through a grant by the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff (UAPB) Minority Initiative Sub-Recipient Grant Office.

UAPB officials will be on hand at 12 p.m. on Monday, July 14 in the Sicard Education Center in the Centers of Excellence at the St. Edward Mercy Medical Center to present a check in the amount of $62,049.00 to Breathing Easier Together coordinator Sarah Hammer.

“As a coalition, we must provide the community with the knowledge about the dangers of tobacco and we must increase the prevalence of cessation resources,” said Hammer. “This funding gives us a great opportunity to expand our reach to other counties to help minimize the adverse effects of smoking.”

The program has been able to offer youth events, cessation information, and awareness in many different areas of Sebastian County with the $25,335 grant received last year from UAPB.

This year’s grant will be used to provide tobacco free events and other initiatives to all three counties.  The coalition hopes to lower the usage of cigarettes and increase awareness of the dangers of tobacco by working with community leaders and local businesses.

Breathing Easier Together is formerly known as the Fort Smith Coalition for Tobacco Education and Prevention. The group changed names so as not to exclude the additional counties that will benefit from the programs offered through the grant.

For more information, please contact program coordinator, Sarah Hammer, at 479-314-5731.