Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/611826
25 MPTF (Motion Picture & Television Fund), the 94-year-old nonprofit serving members of the entertainment industry, received a $25,000 CVS Health Community Grant to support smoking cessation and prevention. The MPTF grant is part of a nationwide focus by CVS Health to reflect its deep commitment to helping people lead tobacco-free lives. CVS Health presented the grant to MPTF CEO Bob Beitcher during a special luncheon recently where UCLA Health staff and entertainment industry representatives convened to learn about the Picture Quitting Smoking Cessation Program, the first entertainment industry-led program offered in the U.S. that combines free counseling with low-cost medication. Picture Quitting was developed 11 years ago by Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist Tina Nides and Mitchell Nides, PhD, president of Los Angeles Clinical Trials, whose expertise spans over 28 years and includes serving as a researcher in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Department of the UCLA School of Medicine and Intervention Director of the UCLA Lung Health Study. The support of CVS Health will help MPTF increase the reach and success of the Picture Quitting Program, enabling more entertainment industry members to take charge of their own health. "We are grateful to CVS Health not only for this generous grant to MPTF and the entertainment industry but also for making smoking cessation and prevention a core focus nation- "Picture Quitting" Program to Help Industry Members Lead Tobacco-Free Lives From left: Creators of "Picture Quitting" Mitchell Nides, PhD, President of Los Angeles Clinical Trials, and Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist Tina Nides with tweeter @doonerADG800, Political Director & Organizer for the Art Directors Guild - IATSE Local 800, and Ed Brown, Business Agent, Affiliated Property Craftspersons IATSE Local 44. ally for its organi- zation. This grant to MPTF acknowl- edges the success of Dr. Mitchell Nides and Tina Nides and our implementation of the Picture Quitting Smoking Cessation Program, which has maintained a quit rate that is twice the national average for more than five years," said Beitcher. "Our alliances with UCLA Health Systems and CVS Health help to advance our population health strategy, a model of care that extends beyond medical factors and addresses the social, environmental and lifestyle factors impacting health and well-being." "We are committed to building healthier communities and believe that investing in smoking cessation programs is one of the most effective ways to help people quit smoking and lead tobacco-free lives," said Faith S. Weiner, Senior Director Community Relations & Corporate Philanthropy, CVS Health. "We are pleased to support an organization like MPTF dedi- cated to providing innovative programs and services that align with our company's purpose of helping people on their path to better health." MPTF was selected to receive a grant through the CVS Health Community Grants 2015 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. As a further demonstration of its commitment to helping peo- ple on their path to better health, CVS Health said in February 2014 that it would end the sale of cigarettes and tobacco prod- ucts in all of its CVS/pharmacy locations, and announced it was officially tobacco-free in September 2014. This landmark event made CVS/pharmacy the first and only national pharmacy chain to take this step in support of the health and well-being of its patients and customers. Picture Quitting is offered through MPTF for entertainment industry members who have a physician's referral and health insurance coverage with participating health plans from the Motion Picture Industry Pension & Health Plans (MPIPHP), DGA–Producer Pension and Health Plans or DreamWorks Animation. •