Sullivan County to Receive $267,000 in Funding to Reduce Tobacco Use

NASHVILLE, Tenn.  – Tennessee Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, will join other state and local officials on Friday, March 28, at the Sullivan County Regional Health Department in Blountville to present $267,201 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. Sullivan County will focus its first year efforts on a variety of projects to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke.

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:               John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, Tennessee Health Commissioner

Leslie Humphreys, MPA, Assistant Commissioner for Community Health Services, Tennessee Department of Health

                                Rick Long, Director of Regional and Local Health, Tennessee Department of Health

Gary Mayes, Sullivan County Regional Health Director

Steve Godsey, Sullivan County Mayor

Dennis Phillips, Kingsport Mayor

Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey

Rep. Jon Lundberg, District 1

What:               Presentation of Tennessee Tobacco Settlement Program Funding

When:             Friday, March 28, 12:30 p.m. EDT

Where:            Sullivan County Regional Health Department

                        154 Blountville Bypass

                        Blountville, Tennessee  37617

MEDIA CONTACTS:  Woody McMillin, 615-741-3446 or Woody.McMillin@tn.gov or Shelley Walker, 615-253-5184 or Shelley.Walker@tn.gov.