Interact for Health awards $43,000 Grant to support Tobacco-Free Campus Initiative

The Center for Chemical Addictions Treatment (CCAT) has been selected to receive a $43,000 grant from Interact for Health in support of Operation Nine Lives: Creating a Tobacco-Free Campus at CCAT. CCAT is celebrating its 44th Anniversary serving the community through its broad spectrum of drug and alcohol addiction treatment services. CCAT serves more than 1,100 men and women annually.

Operation Nine Lives: Creating a Tobacco-Free Campus at CCAT addresses the issue of employee tobacco use which “is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States” according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The two-year project will support tobacco cessation among staff by offering cessation programs and/or nicotine replacement therapy. CCAT recently began an Employee Wellness Program Initiative that strives to create and support a healthier working environment for its staff thus this new effort complements CCAT’s holistic treatment approach. CCAT plans to duplicate the tobacco cessation program among patients at a future date.

A tobacco-free campus will be an important milestone in the history of our agency

According to CCAT’s President and CEO Sandra L. Kuehn, “Creation of a tobacco-free campus will be an important milestone in the history of our agency. We want to show our employees, patients, visitors and other community members our strong commitment to health by providing a safe and healthy environment for our employees and guests. And quite honestly, as a business we also recognize going tobacco-free is healthy for our bottom line in terms of the reduction in tobacco-related costs in the workplace. We are grateful for this grant from Interact for Health which supports our Mission to Save Lives and Rebuild Families.”

Interact for Health, formerly The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, improves the health of people in the Cincinnati region by being a catalyst for health and wellness. Interact for Health accomplishes its mission by promoting healthy living through grants, education and policy. Interact for Health is an independent nonprofit that serves 20 counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.