Federal smoking prevention grants target Florence, Horry counties

FLORENCE — Two South Carolina counties will receive federal stimulus money for tobacco prevention and control.

The grants were awarded to Florence and Horry counties and are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, according to S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control officials.

The Recovery and Reinvestment Act will distribute $787 billion into multiple projects across the country, with about $275 billion earmarked for contracts, grants and loans.

DHEC officials said in March that the total grant award includes nearly $6 million over the next two years, which will be distributed to the Florence County Coalition for Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Abuse Prevention and the Horry County BREATHE Coalition.

On Wednesday, DHEC officials gathered with officials from Circle Park Behavioral Services as well as the Florence Couny Coalition to announce the more than $2.1 million Florence County will receive under the grant.

Florence and Horry counties are the only two in South Carolina that will receive the grant, according to DHEC officials, and make up two of only 44 communities selected across the entire country.

Florence County officials said the grant will be used to educate youth and the community about the dangers of tobacco and secondhand smoke, as well as helping to implement smoke-free and tobacco-free policies.

The funding will also be used to provide nicotine replacement therapy and one-on-one counseling for Florence and Horry county residents who wish to quit smoking.

“We have something that is called the ‘South Carolina Tobacco Quitline’, which is a free number folks can call (1800-QUIT-NOW), to get help quitting smoking,” said Mary Kathryn Craft of DHEC Tobacco Prevention & Control. “Anyone in Florence or Horry County will be eligible for nicotine patches or gum to help them quit because research shows that counseling plus education can help people quit for the long term and that’s one of our goals.”

In a news release concerning the grant, Louis Eubank, executive director of the S.C. Tobacco Collaborative, said the area should join in with other regions across the state in recognizing the risks of smoking and secondhand smoke and creating laws to protect residents.

“With this grant, Florence has a tremendous opportunity to invest in the health of its workers, residents and visitors,” Eubank said. “Nearly 1.4 million South Carolinians in 33 communities are already protected by smoke-free laws. Isn’t it time for Florence, as a college town and a healthcare industry leader, to become the 34th?”

Some of the grant money will be used to partner with area agencies such as schools, law enforcement networks, churches and media outlets.

A priority of the grant will also be educating the community about the dangers of secondhand smoke and working in conjunction with Smoke Free Florence.

“Education is just so important and we know that second hand smoke kills, so I think the message that we’re trying to get out today is that in fact it does kill, we want to protect our workers and all of our citizens,” Smoke Free Florence Coordinator Jennifer Leach said.

DHEC officials say since the 2006 release of the Surgeon General’s report on the health consequences of secondhand smoking, five counties in South Carolina and 28 cities and towns have taken measures to pass smoke-free laws.