COLUMBIA – The inaugural South Carolina Tobacco Summit will be held on April 4 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Saluda Shoals River Center to raise awareness about the tobacco use prevention and cessation, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control announced today.
“Tobacco use is the single leading preventable cause of death in South Carolina, and in 2006, smoking-related health care expenses cost our state more than a billion dollars,” said Sharon Biggers, director of DHEC’s Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control. “In recent years South Carolina has made progress in alleviating this health and economic burden thanks to dedicated advocates and health care professionals.
“This event will provide an opportunity to continue that progress by bringing together people from across the state for an educational opportunity including a discussion of emerging issues in tobacco control and cessation,” she said.
According to Biggers, Sherri Watson Hyde, past executive director of the National African-American Tobacco Prevention Network, will deliver the summit’s keynote address. Dr. Tim McAfee, chief medical officer for Free & Clear, Inc., will headline a continuing medical education training for health care providers and public health professionals. Free & Clear provides telephone-based and Web-assisted treatment programs for tobacco cessation, including statewide service for the S.C. Tobacco Quitline.
For more information about the summit, visit: http://www.sctobaccosummit.com.
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Note to reporters and editors: To arrange an on-site interview to be conducted during the summit with Sherri Watson Hyde or Dr. Tim McAfee, please contact Mary-Kathryn Craft via the contact information listed below.