We’re helping mothers go tobacco-free and homes stay smokefree to improve children’s health in East of the River (“East River”) communities.
On average, about 20% of District residents smoke or use tobacco. But in many East River neighborhoods, the rate of smoking is as high as 37% or more—about twice the average rate in DC. Babies born to mothers who smoke and children who live in homes with smokers face serious long-term health risks. Our East River Tobacco-Free project works to reduce smoking among pregnant women and reduce smoking in households with children in Ward 7 and 8 communities, which have the District’s highest smoking rates.
Our program provides smoking cessation support, connects women to local resources and offers home visits to reinforce new habits and improve the air that women and children breathe at home. Participants are members of three Managed Care Organization (MCO) partners and United Medical Center patients. In all, Breathe DC expects to enroll 225 smokers in cessation classes and cessation support services each year of the project, and to reach a total of 10,000 District residents via community outreach.
