What's New
Colab Expands!
The COLAB Tobacco Free Pharmacy Project has expanded its campaign for tobacco free pharmacies to Riverside an San Bernardino Counties.
Learn more in the WHAT'S NEW Section.
New partnership with RESPECT.
RESPECT (Resources & Education Supporting People Everywhere Controlling Tobacco) is a Prop 99-funded project that is partnering with COLAB to work in the Los Angeles County communities of Glendale, Burbank and/or Compton.
Learn more in the WHAT'S NEW Section.
What is COLAB All About?
Setting a New Standard.
As difficult as it is to imagine, as recently as 15 years ago, it was normal for hospitals to sell tobacco. Fortunately, in the 1990s, hospitals recognized the inherent contradiction of profiting from the sale of the number one cause of preventable death in America – tobacco – in the same setting that health care is provided. As a result tobacco was voluntarily removed from hospitals.
Just like hospitals, California's Pharmacies and Chain Drugstores are in the health care business.
Pharmacies and chain drugstores are places where California families go to fill their everyday healthcare needs. In fact, California consumers regard pharmacists as the forth most trusted source of health information (behind only physicians, nurses and medical books). The problem is, an alarming number of drugstores continue to sell cigarettes and other tobacco products—right alongside asthma inhalers, cough medicine and prescription drugs.
In this singular act of hypocrisy, pharmacies are legitimizing tobacco use to our kids.
That's why COLAB (County of Los Angeles BREATH), a project of the American Lung Association along with healthcare professionals, voluntary health organizations and community leaders are urging pharmacies and chain drugstores in Los Angeles County to end the sale of tobacco in their stores. Because no company should profit from healing and harming us at the same time!
A Little History
The COLAB is a county specific follow-up project to Prescription for Change, a former project funded by the California Department of Health Services, Tobacco Control Section, begun in 1995. From its inception, this project worked with independent pharmacies to remove tobacco products from their stores. After realizing a nearly 80% success rate (currently 78% of independent pharmacies in California are tobacco free), the project shifted its focus to chain drugstores.
The Next Steps…
COLAB is geared up and excited to work on our project goal. We welcome you to explore our website in order to familiarize yourself with our project. Our plans for the future include:
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Increasing consumer awareness about pharmacies selling tobacco
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Developing model grassroots activities that can be adopted by communities to educate local consumers about tobacco free pharmacies and that encourage pharmacies to eliminate tobacco advertisements and products from their stores
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Training pharmacist spokespersons to make presentations, attend events and interact with the media, consumers and policy makers to promote tobacco free pharmacies and drugstores
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In collaboration with coalition member agencies educate and inform elected officials about our project and the usefulness of adopting a resolution to promote tobacco-free pharmacies in their community.
Contact Information
COLAB
County of Los Angeles BREATH
5482 Wilshire Blvd. Ste. 1530
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Phone: 323-692-7780
E-mail: colab@jps.net
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