News Release
2010-09
January 18, 2010
For immediate release
OTTAWA - The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced today an important investment that will help encourage Canadians to quit smoking and lead healthier lives. Health Canada is providing just over $2.4 million dollars in funding to the Ottawa Heart Institute Research Corporation for a project that will assist hospital out-patients with smoking cessation.
"The Government of Canada remains committed to protecting all Canadians from the proven health hazards associated with tobacco use," said Minister Aglukkaq. "Today's funding is a step towards ensuring we get Canadians the help they need to quit smoking."
Funding from today's announcement will go towards a project entitled "Extending Tobacco Treatment Excellence: a National Dissemination of Systems". The goal of this project is to implement a smoking cessation program in 21 out-patient clinics that will provide advice to 15,000 smokers and facilitate best practices and knowledge sharing. The project will also provide training for 2000 health care providers on tobacco addiction treatment including the development of policies and training tools. Partners include the Vancouver Coastal Authority, Regional Health Authority B (New Brunswick) and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario.
"The Heart Institute's Ottawa Model has already proven invaluable in helping more than 20,000 hospitalized Canadians stop smoking," said Dr. Andrew Pipe, Chief, Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation, University of Ottawa Heart Institute. "Our program is being adopted more broadly and with support of the Minister of Health and her government to expand our efforts, we will be able to help more people deal with this deadly addiction and Canada's leading cause of preventable disease, disability and death."
This year, National Non-Smoking Week is taking place from January 17-23. It is a week devoted to preventing people from beginning to smoke and helping smokers quit. The theme this year "Quitting is contagious; pass it on!" recognizes that it is easier to quit smoking with the support of others.
Tobacco use is the single biggest cause of preventable disease, disability and premature death in Canada. It has negative effects on nearly every organ of the body. Every year, at least 37,000 Canadians die from the effects of smoking, while many others are diagnosed with related illnesses such as heart disease, lung cancer and other respiratory diseases.
For more information on Health Canada's tobacco control efforts, please visit: www.gosmokefree.gc.ca.
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Media Enquiries:
Josee Bellemare
Office of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq
Federal Minister of Health
(613) 957-0200
Health Canada
(613) 957-2983
Public Enquiries:
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1-866 225-0709
