MCCTFA Honors State Representative Wagner

Photo: MCCTFA Program Coordinator Elroy Brown presents Rep. Charolette Wagner with an award for her support of the coalition.

The Mississippi County Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Arkansas has garnered the support of State Legislators. Recently, Representative Charolette Wagner commended Elroy Brown and the coalition for their efforts in tobacco prevention, during a monthly coalition meeting. Representative Wagner gave her personal testimony of how tobacco has affected her family and expressed her appreciation for the coalition; she concluded by offering her complete support for the coalition. Program Director, Elroy Brown, stated, " Rep. Wagner has shown herself to be a friend of the coalition and we are blessed to have her in our corner."

For information on quitting tobacco call (866) NOW-QUIT.

2008 Major Upcoming Events ...Stay Tuned:

In January 2008, MCCTFA will launch The Mississippi County Tobacco Prevention University. Program Coordinator Elroy Brown and MCCTFA staff/volunteers will be working with the Blytheville Public Schools after-school program. Pre-tests will be administered to begin the program and follow-up assessments (post-tests) will be conducted in May 2008. The format of the program consists of guest speakers, tobacco-prevention resources (e.g. dvds, skits, etc.), role playing, and other dissemination forums. In May, the youth participants will graduate and receive awards with Moms & Dads looking on!!
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In April 2008, please join us for our the 2008 "Saving the Lives of Arkansas Children" annual banquet. Delivering the keynote address this year is Dr. Cheryl G. Healton, President & CEO of the American Legacy Foundation (Washington, DC).

An engaging and outspoken advocate for improving public health, Dr. Healton is a former smoker herself, who lost her own mother and several close family members to tobacco-related disease and provides a unique view of tobacco control issues from a smoker’s perspective. She has a first-hand understanding of addiction and has devoted herself to finding real world solutions to smoking cessation.

Dr. Healton is a thought-provoking public speaker and has given a multitude of presentations around the world. Considered bold, inspirational and humorous, she is a frequent commentator in national and local broadcast and print news coverage regarding tobacco control issues, which include guest appearances on ABC’s Good Morning America; CNN’s Larry King Live; NBC’s Today, MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, National Public Radio and more. Please feel free to read more about Dr. Healton and the American Legacy Foundation at: http://www.americanlegacy.org/.

Stay tuned to our blog for more information on this event in the very near future.
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Welcome to the MCCTFA blogspot!!!

(Pictured: MCCTFA Program Coordinator Elroy Brown and Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jocelyn Elders at 2007 Saving Lives of Arkansas Children Annual Banquet)

The Mississippi County Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Arkansas (MCCTFA) is a tobacco intervention program based in Blytheville, Arkansas. Our mission is to reduce tobacco-related illnesses and tobacco use among youth and adults. Often called the "tobacco man", MCCTFA Program Coordinator Elroy Brown is a force to be reckoned with. He is very focused on the MCCTFA mission and is well respected nation-wide by legislators, activists, and many likeminded entities and individuals for his tenacity, commitment, and accomplishments.

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Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causing many diseases and affecting the health of smokers in general. Quitting smoking has immediate as well as long-term benefits for you and your loved ones. Learn more about the harmful effects of smoking, smokeless tobacco, and secondhand smoke from the resources below and find out about resources that address prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco.

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Since 2003, the total number of people who have quit using tobacco in our county is 154, which totals $23,593,594.00 of excess medical costs saved in the state of Arkansas as a direct result of the MCCTFA tobacco control efforts. MCCTFA has reached over 185,000 residents during the 2006-2007 funding cycle. This number is substantiated through signatures, twenty-six church bulletin announcements (reaching over 200 people each week), 10 monthly coalition meetings in various cities within Mississippi County, and five special public programs that have allowed many to hear the mission, strategies, and tactics of MCCTFA. Other venues to disseminate information have included: the MCCTFA annual banquet, “Saving the Lives of Arkansas' Children”, which featured former U.S. Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders as the keynote speaker in April 2006 and April 2007 and 36 newspaper articles that reach over 10,000 daily readers.

Sustainability efforts are continuously developed through an annual banquet, business and private citizen contributions, and other fundraising endeavors. Community, Constituencies, Capitol, and Continuity are the foundational focus and pillars of the agency. Alliances with local, state, and national political champions are formed to seek resources.

The Mississippi County Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Arkansas (MCCTFA) offers empowerment opportunities through evaluative goals, processes, outcomes, and strategic planning to help those who want to quit smoking. This includes concerns and plans to implement prevention and cessation programs within the county by collaborating with legislators, retailers, educators, and professional healthcare organizations.

Feel free to take a look at the collaborative efforts of Arkansas local grantees, evaluators, funders, and legislators at http://tobaccoprevention.blogspot.com/ and how our groups have helped to save lives and medical costs in the state of Arkansas.

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"Sure smokers have made personal choices. And they pay for those choices every day, whether sitting through an airline flight dying for a smoke, or dying for a smoke in the oncology wing of a hospital. The tobacco companies have not paid nearly enough for the killing." - Anonymous