CVS Health Foundation Partners with Tobacco-Free Kids to Make Next Generation Tobacco-Free
February 05, 2015
February 5th marks one year since CVS announced it would stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products at its more than 7,800 CVS/pharmacy locations, making CVS/pharmacy the first national pharmacy chain to take this step. On the anniversary, the CVS Health Foundation has announced a $5 million five-year commitment to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids to launch its new “Making the Next Generation Tobacco-Free” grant program. The Foundation will partner with Tobacco-Free Kids to provide grants to organizations committed to implementing public health strategies to reduce youth tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke.
'The CVS Health Foundation is committed to helping people lead tobacco-free lives and working toward the goal of making the next generation tobacco-free,” said Eileen Howard Boone, President, CVS Health Foundation. “We are proud to partner with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the leaders in youth tobacco awareness, prevention and advocacy, through this grant program to empower youth and provide them with the resources needed to reduce tobacco use among young people.”
“This innovative partnership comes as we mark one year since the announcement that CVS/pharmacy locations would no longer sell tobacco products, demonstrating the ongoing commitment of CVS Health and its Foundation to continue to help people live tobacco-free,” said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
The “Making the Next Generation Tobacco-Free” grant initiative will support programs that help to reduce youth tobacco use, especially among at-risk populations; educate the public about the problem of and solutions to youth tobacco use in local communities; and increase youth engagement in tobacco prevention. The first grant recipients will be announced on Kick Butts Day, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids’ annual day of activism that empowers youth to stand out, speak up and mobilize their communities on youth tobacco issues, which will be held this year on March 18, 2015.