AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The CATCH Global
Foundation has received a three-year, $500,000 grant from CVS Health [NYSE: CVS] to
bring the youth e-cigarette prevention program "CATCH
My Breath" to middle- and high
schools nationwide free of charge. The grant is part of CVS
Health's Be The First initiative, a
five-year $50 million effort to help deliver the nation's
first tobacco-free generation through education and awareness,
research and tobacco control advocacy, and health behavior
programming. More at http://catchinfo.org/cvshealth.
"CVS Health's purpose is helping people on their path to better
health, and we believe that stopping the spread of tobacco and
e-cigarette use, particularly among young people, is an important
element in advancing that purpose," said Eileen Howard Boone, senior vice president of
corporate social responsibility for CVS Health. "By partnering with
the CATCH Global Foundation, we can accelerate our efforts to reach
youth at a critical point in time when they can learn healthy
behaviors, instead of harmful ones."
E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among
youth and young adults. CATCH My
Breath is the first program specifically designed around
preventing youth e-cigarette use.
In a 2016 pilot test, 86 percent of students said they were less
likely to try e-cigarettes as a result of the program. CATCH
My Breath was created by youth
tobacco prevention experts at The University
of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School
of Public Health.
CATCH My Breath is
currently taught in 20 states and reaches over 30,000 kids. The CVS
Health funding expands program availability nationwide, with the
aim of reaching 200,000 kids annually, by 2020.
"CATCH My Breath aligns
with the priorities of our state-wide tobacco prevention efforts,
and comes at a perfect time given the new Texas state law requiring e-cigarette
education in schools," said Mark
Boldt of the Texas Department of State Health Services
Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch.
"Health education programs help youth lead happy, healthy lives.
Through programs like CATCH My
Breath that focus on teaching prevention in middle and
high school, educators can provide those prevention messages when
they are most effective," added Audra
Walters, Coordinated School Health Director at the Arkansas
Department of Education.
The grant from CVS Health will support program staffing,
implementation, ongoing curriculum refinement, and evaluation.
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SOURCE CATCH Global Foundation