June 2005 Press ReleaseFinancial Remedy for Smoking Cessation Programs Reduced by Department of Justice Elicits Strong Reaction from Chest Medicine Society(NORTHBROOK, IL, June 14, 2005) – The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), an international medical society with a membership of over 16,500 physicians and allied health professionals who focus on diseases of the chest, today announced its extreme disappointment in the decision of the US Justice Department to seek a small percentage of the funding recommended by their expert witness, Dr. Michael Fiore, for smoking cessation and public smoking prevention education programs. The decision by the Justice Department to reduce their request from the original recommendation, $130 billion over 25 years to only $10 billion dollars over 5 years to fund nation-wide tobacco cessation programs, severely impacts the ability of the 46 million already addicted smokers to quit. It also significantly impacts the development and effect that educational programs would have in reducing the number of new smokers now and in the future. By cutting the amount of recommended funding, a national telephone quitline network, universal access to smoking cessation medication and counseling, extensive media campaigns, and research and education by medical providers will be severely restricted. Tobacco use is a major public health threat directly affecting the health of millions of Americans and is responsible for a significant percentage of health-care costs in the United States. The ACCP is committed to improving the health of patients and securing adequate funding for these tobacco-related initiatives that are critical to achieve the overall goal. Therefore, the ACCP is urging US District Judge Gladys Kessler, who is presiding over this case, to seriously consider the fiscal recommendations of Dr. Fiore, the world's leading expert in tobacco cessation programming, and to recognize the harm that tobacco use has on the current and future health of the public when writing her decision. "As former Surgeon General David Satcher has said many times, we still have a long way to go if we are to meet our public health objectives of reducing smoking. As he so eloquently put it 'we know more than enough to prevent and reduce tobacco use. Now, we must commit the attention and resources to translate this knowledge into action to save … lives,' " said Paul A. Kvale, MD, FCCP, President of the American College of Chest Physicians. "With the funding recommended by Dr. Fiore, we could begin to have a significant impact on this goal." ACCP represents more than 16,500 members who provide clinical respiratory, sleep, critical care, and cardiothoracic patient care in the United States and throughout the world. The ACCP's mission is to promote the prevention and treatment of diseases of the chest through leadership, education, research, and communication.Contact:
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