For immediate release: November 9, 2009 (09-175)
Contacts:
Timothy Church, Communications Office
360-236-4077
Tobacco prevention program earns World Health Organization recognition
Program director only U.S. expert invited to join global meeting
OLYMPIA
- The state’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, a national leader in
fighting tobacco use, will take part in an international workshop on effective
prevention strategies.
Terry Reid, the program’s director since March
2001, will represent the Department of Health at the World Health Organization
(WHO) event in Tunis, Tunisia on November 13 and 14. The group will work on
tobacco control measures for use by countries around the world.
“This is
a real honor for our state and our Tobacco Prevention and Control Program,” said
Secretary of Health Mary Selecky. “Since the program began, adult smoking is
down by 30 percent, youth smoking has dropped by about half, and we’ve
implemented one of the most comprehensive smoke-free indoor air laws in the
country. The invitation is a tribute to Terry’s leadership. Improving the health
of our state’s people is the real payoff.”
The meetings in Tunisia bring
together WHO representatives and select managers of national tobacco control
programs. Reid is the only person from the U.S. who has been invited.
“I’m proud of the effective tobacco prevention and control model we’ve developed
and the difference it has made in our state,” said Reid. “It’s a testament to
the daily efforts of state and local tobacco prevention specialists throughout
Washington. Their dedication has helped save our state thousands of lives and
billions in future health care costs. I’m delighted to share with an
international audience how we’ve achieved those successes.”
“Washington
has long been a national leader in tobacco prevention and control,” said Matthew
L. Myers, executive director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “For the
last nine years, the program has implemented a comprehensive effort to help
adults quit, prevent youth from starting, and protect people from secondhand
smoke, which produced dramatic results.”###
