Free & Clear, Inc. to Provide Tobacco Treatment Services for
Vulcan Materials Company
Employer-Sponsored Program Will Help Employees Comply With Smoke-Free Workplace
Policy
SEATTLE, April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Free & Clear, Inc. today announced that it
has been selected by Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:VMC) to provide tobacco
treatment services to Vulcan's 9,000 employees and their eligible dependents.
Starting today, Vulcan employees and their dependents age 18 and older can
enroll in the award-winning Free & Clear(R) Tobacco Treatment Program to
receive telephone-based treatment sessions, as well as free nicotine
replacement therapy (nicotine patches or gum).
"Vulcan has a long-standing commitment to the health of our employees and their
families," said Donald M. James, Vulcan's chairman and chief executive officer. "We believe that a major factor that affects employee health is the use of
tobacco products as evidenced by our Environmental Tobacco Smoke Policy, which
prohibits smoking in company buildings and vehicles. We also believe that the
use of tobacco products is a major contributor to our rapidly escalating health
care costs." Free & Clear is a nationally recognized evidence-based program that uses a
comprehensive approach to effectively tackle all three elements of tobacco
dependence: physical, behavioral and psychological. A tobacco treatment
specialist works with participants one-on-one to develop a tailored quit plan
and provides guidance and support during the quit process. Participants can
call in to the program for the duration of their treatment whenever they need
additional support. Participants also receive a printed Quit Kit of materials
that help them actively self-manage their tobacco dependence between calls. The
program has one of the highest documented quit rates in the industry.
Vulcan evaluated tobacco cessation providers on a number of factors, including
a strong scientific basis for the program, a proven track record measured by
quit rate, and the ability to serve a geographically diverse workforce. Free &
Clear was chosen for its ability to best fulfill all of those criteria.
Free & Clear will actively work with Vulcan to recruit employees at more than
350 locations into the program. Initial recruitment efforts include a mailing
to each employee's home announcing the availability of the program, and
promotional materials and resources at each of Vulcan's facilities.
"Vulcan's commitment to helping its employees quit tobacco is especially
important because blue-collar workers -- which make up more than half of the
company's workforce -- tend to have almost double the rate of tobacco use
compared to the national average," said Tim McAfee, M.D., MPH, chief medical
officer of Free & Clear. "Many companies have a mistaken belief that blue-
collar workers don't want to quit, won't use cessation programs, and if they do
won't be successful. But our experience working with many companies with large
concentrations of blue-collar employees is exactly the opposite: they are just
as eager to quit and get help, especially if help is easily and confidentially
available over the phone. And when they participate, they are just as
successful. We also know that it is easier for someone to stay quit if
everyone in the household quits, too -- so offering the program to dependents
is a wise decision." Over the past 20 years, Free & Clear's work has focused on designing, testing
and delivering easily accessible services that help people quit tobacco. With
the support of research partners such as the National Cancer Institute,
government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and
private foundations such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Free & Clear
has become a national leader in the development, evaluation, and delivery of
evidence-based tobacco cessation programs across the United States.
About Vulcan Materials Company Vulcan Materials Company, a member of the S&P 500 index, is the nation's
foremost producer of construction aggregates and a major producer of other
construction materials.
About Free & Clear, Inc.
Free & Clear, Inc. is a highly specialized tobacco treatment provider for
health plans, employers and government organizations. Free & Clear helps its
customers improve the health and risk status of their populations and control
related costs by reducing the prevalence of tobacco use. More than 47 million
people have access to the Free & Clear Tobacco Treatment Program, which is the
only commercial tobacco treatment program in the United States with proof of
effectiveness published in multiple peer reviewed, scientific journals over the
course of nearly 20 years. Free & Clear is based in Seattle, Wash. More
information about Free & Clear can be found at http://www.freeclear.com/.
CONTACTS: Heather Dazell
Free & Clear, Inc. 206-988-7607
Shelly F. Cohen
Firmani & Associates
206-443-9357
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link. Timothy A. McAfee, MD, MPH
http://profnet.prnewswire.com/ud_public.jsp?userid=508823 DATASOURCE: Free & Clear, Inc.
CONTACT: Heather Dazell of Free & Clear, Inc., +1-206-988-7607, or ; or Shelly F. Cohen of Firmani & Associates, +1-206-443-9357, or , for Free & Clear, Inc.
Web site: http://www.freeclear.com/
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