PHILADELPHIA – Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett joined with the American Lung Association and 45 other tobacco control, prevention and health-related organizations from across Pennsylvania to encourage Gov. Edward G. Rendell and the General Assembly to dedicate the new estimated $25 million payment from the tobacco settlement to be used for tobacco prevention and cessation programming.
“Studies show that state tobacco control programs are effective at cutting the number of smokers, and the more funds that can be directed to these programs, the better the results,” said Corbett. “With nearly one-quarter of Pennsylvanians plagued by nicotine addiction and smoking-related diseases costing our state’s health care system an additional $5.19 billion annually, the Governor and the General Assembly have a unique opportunity this month to invest the extra money in the health and welfare of our citizens.”
As part of the 1998 tobacco settlement (MSA), this month the involved states will receive an increase to their normal annual payments from the MSA-participating tobacco companies through the “Strategic Contribution Fund” payment that the companies must pay from 2008 to 2017. While payments vary for each state, Pennsylvania will receive an additional estimated $25 million on April 15 in addition to the other required payments.
“Pennsylvania currently spends $31.7 million on tobacco prevention and cessation, which pales in comparison to the $553 million – over $1.5 million a day – the tobacco industry spends each year to market and promote its products,” said Deborah Brown, Vice President of Community Outreach and Advocacy for the American Lung Association. “With approximately 21,300 children under 18 years of age becoming daily smokers each year, the funding is critical to expand throughout PA existing tobacco prevention and cessation programs that we know work.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued investment guidelines to states on how to spend portions of the tobacco revenues. Included in the suggested guidelines are: state and community tobacco use interventions; health/media-related interventions; smoking cessation interventions; surveillance and evaluation; and administration and management of the tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The CDC has recommended that Pennsylvania spend 11 percent of its tobacco revenue on these types of initiatives.
“Tobacco use remains this country’s leading preventable cause of death, but less than five percent of smokers are able to quit on their own,” Corbett said. “When comprehensive cessation treatments are unavailable, smokers have few places to turn for help. I encourage the Commonwealth and insurers across Pennsylvania to make a wise investment in helping smokers to quit – and quit for good.”
The other organizations that joined with Attorney General Corbett and the American Lung Association to support spending on tobacco prevention and cessation programs in Pennsylvania include:
Academy of Pediatrics, Pennsylvania Chapter
American Cancer Society
American Heart Association
American Lung Association
Armstrong County Tobacco Free Coalition
BUSTED (Philadelphia)
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
Center for Humanistic Change, Inc.
*Coalition for Tobacco Free Beaver County
Coalition for Tobacco Free Berks
CONCILIO (The Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations)
Council on Chemical Abuse
Council on Drug & Alcohol Abuse (Lancaster)
Cumberland-Perry Drug & Alcohol Commission
Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania
*Gateway VISION, a Division of Gateway Rehabilitation
Gettysburg Hospital Tobacco Control Program
Greene County Tobacco Control Program
Health Promotion Council
Healthy Adams County
Indiana County Tobacco Free Coalition
Lebanon Valley Health Services
Mercer County Tobacco Control Coalition
National Association of Hispanic Nurses, Philadelphia Chapter
Penn State University
Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians
Pennsylvania Alliance to Control Tobacco
Pennsylvania Asthma Partnership
Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners
Philadelphia Health Management Corporation
Smoke Free Philly
Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition
Southeastern Pennsylvania Tobacco Control Project
Tioga County Partnership for Community Health
Tobacco Free Allegheny
Tobacco Free Butler County
*Tobacco Free Cambria County
Tobacco Free Coalition of Lancaster County
Tobacco Free Fayette County
Tobacco Free Somerset County
Tobacco Free Southwestern Pennsylvania (SWPA)
Tobacco Free Washington County
Tobacco Free Youth of Lackawanna County
Urban League of Lancaster County
Westmoreland Tobacco Free Coalition
The event was hosted by the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation (PHMC), which is a nonprofit public health institute that builds healthier communities through partnerships with government, foundations, business and other community-based organizations.
The Health Promotion Council(HPC), a PHMC affiliate, works to prevent the initiation of tobacco use, eliminate nonsmoker exposure to tobacco smoke pollution, promote smoking cessation and identify and eliminate tobacco-related disparities.