News Release
2009-173
October 23, 2009
For immediate release
CALGARY - Lee Richardson, Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre, today announced on behalf of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, funding for a smoking cessation project that will help reduce tobacco use among students and staff at Mount Royal University.
"The Government of Canada is proud to be working with Mount Royal University and its partners to help reduce cigarette smoking among students and employees," said Mr. Richardson. "I look forward to learning about the progress being made to address this important health issue in the months and years ahead."
Funding from today's announcement will go towards the TobaccoFree@MRU project which supports students and staff in their efforts to live smoke-free. The project is designed to help individuals learn about and experience the health benefits of quitting through brief interventions by on-campus health practitioners. It will establish training for approximately 32 campus health practitioners as well as administrative staff to incorporate the Ask, Advise, Refer model into practice. This innovative approach will train physicians and nurses, massage therapists, chiropractors, athletic therapists, physiotherapists, acupuncturists and counsellors on campus. The overall goal of the project is to reduce the number of tobacco users on campus by 3.8 per cent and to increase the number of quit attempts by both students and staff.
"Thanks to funding provided by Health Canada we are able to continue in our efforts to be student-focused and educate and promote a healthy and tobacco free environment at Mount Royal University," said President Dave Marshall.
"TobaccoFree@MRU provides Mount Royal University students, staff, and faculty the opportunity to reduce and quit an addiction that is harmful, dangerous, and difficult to stop. As a Health Educator it is great to get this kind of funding to help make quitting tobacco a priority for all of us at Mount Royal," said Shermin Murji, Health Education Coordinator.
Smoking remains the most preventable cause of disease and premature death in Canada. More than 37,000 people die prematurely each year in Canada due to tobacco use and more than 830 non-smokers died in Canada in 2002 from second-hand smoke. Given these statistics, Health Canada is pleased to have contributed $114,770 to the TobaccoFree@MRU project.
For more information on Health Canada's tobacco control efforts, please visit www.gosmokefree.gc.ca.
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Media Enquiries:
Health Canada
(613) 957-2983
Public Health Agency of Canada
(613) 941-8189
Josée Bellemare
Office of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq
Federal Minister of Health
(613) 957-0200
Public Enquiries:
(613) 957-2991
1-866 225-0709
