Carter County to Receive $60,000 in Funding to Reduce Tobacco Use
Elizabethton – Tennessee Department of Health Deputy Commissioner Bruce Behringer will join other state and local officials on Monday, March 31, at the Carter County Courthouse in Elizabethton to present $60,000 in funding as part of the Tennessee Tobacco Settlement Program.
Each county in Tennessee will receive funding during this three-year program to reduce the burden of tobacco use in the state. All counties are challenged to set goals and select one or more projects that address three topics: eliminating smoking during pregnancy; reducing infants’ and children’s exposure to second-hand smoke; and preventing child and adolescent tobacco use. Carter County will focus its first year efforts on a variety of projects to reduce smoking among pregnant women.
Funding from the Tobacco Settlement was provided to the Tennessee Department of Health for fiscal years 2014-16 to address the state’s high rate of tobacco use and prevent expensive related medical costs. The plan to distribute $15 million over three years has been generated with input from all 95 counties. This plan includes a variety of projects to target behaviors designed to protect the health of Tennessee’s most vulnerable populations: unborn babies, pregnant women and children.
Who: Bruce Behringer, Deputy Commissioner for Continuous Improvement & Training, Tennessee Department of Health
Cindy Sayler, Northeast Regional Assistant Health Director, TDH
Beth Rader, Northeast Regional Community Services Director, TDH
Caroline Hurt, Carter County Health Director, TDH
Leon Humphrey, Carter County Mayor
Sen. Rusty Crowe, District 3
What: Presentation of Tennessee Tobacco Settlement Program Funding
When: Monday, March 31, 8:30 a.m. EDT
Where: Carter County Courthouse
801 East Elk Avenue
Elizabethton, Tennessee 37643
MEDIA CONTACT: Beth Rader, 423-979-4591 (office), 423-915-6913 (cell) or Beth.Rader@tn.gov