CARTI Receives $10,000 CVS Health Community Grant
Grant to CARTI Is Part of CVS Health’s Commitment to Helping People Lead Tobacco-Free Lives
CARTI recently announced it has received a $10,000 CVS Health Community Grant to create an eight week Smoking Cessation program for smokers. The Community Grants Program was created by CVS Health as part of its commitment to helping people achieve their best health by providing financial assistance to programs that are focused on smoking cessation and prevention. The support from CVS Health will help CARTI provide smoking cessation classes to negate the effect tobacco has on cancer patients, smokers and their families.
“The need for smoking cessation classes in Arkansas is compelling,” said Carolyn Garrett, CARTI Patient Resource Center Coordinator. “Arkansas has an adult smoking rate of 25.9%, the second highest in the country, with the national rate at 16.8% and an estimated 5,800 adults in our state die each year from smoking. This has a direct link to Arkansas’ high mortality rate for lung and bronchial cancer.”
“CARTI is one of the region’s most comprehensive cancer treatment providers, treating 20,000 patients annually from across Arkansas. Because we are committed to serving the patient as a whole, we want to offer them, their family members and other smokers in the community help with quitting,” Garrett continued. “In order to do so, we have to certify our trainers through the American Lung Association, and this grant from CVS Health is allowing us to do that and then offer ongoing Freedom From Smoking Cessation Classes.”
CARTI will offer its next community smoking cessation class on January 3 at the CARTI Cancer Center, 8901 CARTI Way in Little Rock. The Freedom From Smoking Classes will be held for eight weeks at 5:00 p.m. every Tuesday. The classes are free, but registration is required. To register, call 501-660-7610 or email cgarrett@carti.com.
“As a pharmacy innovation company, we are committed to building healthier communities and we believe that providing smoking cessation programs is one of the most effective ways to help people quit smoking and lead tobacco-free lives,” said Eileen Howard Boone, Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy, CVS Health. “We are pleased to support the work that CARTI does in the community and we look forward to working with them in fulfilling their program’s mission.”
CARTI was selected to receive a grant through the CVS Health Community Grants 2016 application process. This year, grants were specifically awarded to smoking cessation programs offered in a community setting that are helping people lead tobacco-free lives and are reducing the prevalence of smoking.
Earlier this year, CVS Health announced Be The First, a five-year, $50 million initiative to help deliver the first tobacco-free generation and extend the company’s commitment to helping people lead tobacco-free lives. With support and funding through CVS Health and the CVS Health Foundation, Be The First supports comprehensive education, advocacy, tobacco control and healthy behavior programming delivered by a group of national partner organizations. For more information about Be The First and CVS Health’s broader commitment to tobacco-free living, please visit www.cvshealth.com/be-the-first.
CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through its more than 9,600 retail pharmacies, more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with nearly 80 million plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, and expanding specialty pharmacy services, the Company enables people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable and effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at https://www.cvshealth.com.
CARTI is a not-for-profit, multi-disciplinary cancer care provider offering medical and surgical oncology, diagnostic radiology and radiation oncology at locations throughout the state to provide convenient access for cancer patients. Chemotherapy is offered in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Benton, Clinton, Conway, El Dorado, Heber Springs, Russellville and Stuttgart. Radiation therapy is offered in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Conway, Mountain Home and Searcy. The CARTI Foundation was incorporated in 1983 as a non-profit organization to assist CARTI in meeting the current and future needs of Arkansas cancer patients and their families. For more information, visit carti.com.
