County agrees to back tobacco-use prevention grant

Shajia Ahmad

Nov. 3, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Finney County commissioners have agreed to endorse a possible multimillion-dollar tobacco-use prevention grant funded by federal stimulus dollars that may make its way to the county by the end of this year.

Representatives from the Finney County Health Coalition -- 33 area health, social service, education and community organizations -- reported to commissioners during Monday's public meeting that Finney and Sedgwick counties were selected by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to partner for a portion of the Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant, a $650 million nationwide initiative spearheaded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Finney County could receive between $1 million to $3 million in funding for school and community-based tobacco-use prevention and cessation programs, said Donna Gerstner, an assistant superintendent with the Garden City Recreation Commission and one of the grant's coordinators.

"There are still many misconstrued ideas about tobacco use and cigarettes," Gerstner said to commissioners. "A lot of our youth don't realize they're as bad as they are."

Several commissioners were hesitant to endorse the health coalition's request, citing their concerns about the use of one-time federal stimulus dollars and duplication of services already available in the area, such as policing area businesses that sell tobacco and anti-drug campaigns in schools.

However, each board member -- save for Commissioner Don Doll, who strongly echoed the above concerns -- ultimately voted in favor of the health coalition's request.

"If we don't use it here, it'll go down the road and get used somewhere else," Commissioner Dave Jones said in support of the grant.

No financial commitment or match is required from Finney County, only a letter of support to complete the grant application, Gerstner said.

Costs for federal audits will be supplied from the grant funds, if they are awarded, she added.

KDHE will be notified by Dec. 31 if the county is selected to receive funding.

The Finney County Health Department and Garden City Recreation Commission currently receive about $32,000 of fiscal support annually from the KDHE's Chronic Disease Risk Reduction grant, Gerstner said, which supports anti-drug and healthy-lifestyle programs at both Garden City and Holcomb school districts.

In Kansas, 73 percent of current smokers 18 and older reported that they became regular smokers before or at the age of 18, according to a 2007 KDHE report on tobacco use, the agency's latest available data.

Newstex ID: KRTB-1043-39414682