Dear Colleague:
The CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health is in the process of recruiting individuals to feature in our next national tobacco education campaign. This campaign will be very similar to our highly successful Tips From Former Smokers campaign and enable us to highlight health conditions and population groups that we weren’t able to feature in the first Tips campaign. Like the first Tipscampaign, this campaign will feature real people who suffered severe health conditions caused directly by smoking or that were triggered by exposure to secondhand smoke.
As a partner with us in tobacco control, we would very much appreciate it if you would share this request for assistance as well as the enclosed flyer with your partners, members, and/or constituents. Additionally, should you know of any people whom you feel would be good candidates for this campaign, please feel free to forward their contact information to us. As with the first campaign, be assured that anyone you refer to us will be treated with respect and sensitivity.
We are seeking people across all ethnic and racial backgrounds, but particularly candidates who are veterans or American Indian/Alaska Natives—ideally age 55 or younger. All applicants must have been tobacco-free for at least 6 months. We are specifically seeking individuals:
· Who have suffered a heart attack due to exposure to secondhand smoke (age 55 or younger)
· Who have symptomatic COPD, including chronic bronchitis or emphysema (i.e., marked by restriction in activities or home oxygen), due to their own smoking (ages 30 through 50)
· Who have diabetes (either Type I or Type II) and who’ve suffered health problems as a result of their continued smoking; this could include amputation of limbs, kidney failure, vision impairment, or blindness (age 55 or younger)
· Who have had a serious asthma attack triggered by exposure to secondhand smoke (ages 18 through 30)
· Who have used proven strategies to successfully quit smoking (such as setting a quit date, working with their health care provider, removing ashtrays and cigarettes from their environment, or using an approved medication) and have a compelling story to tell about how they quit (age 50 or younger)
In order to qualify, participants must have been tobacco-free for at least 6 months, be able to travel for filming in October 2012, and be willing to have a doctor sign a legal statement saying tobacco caused and/or contributed to their health condition. Please see the attached recruitment flyer for additional information regarding qualifications. The compensation for participating in this campaign is $2,500 as well as paid travel expenses.
We really appreciate your assistance in this endeavor. Should you have any questions or concerns related to the campaign, please contact Kari Sapsis, Campaign Development Team Lead, atksapsis@cdc.gov. For questions about the recruitment process and to recommend good candidates for the campaign, please call or email one of the following representatives from Mimi Webb Miller Casting, a national casting and research company.
Mimi Webb Miller Leslie Rhoades
mwmcasting@yahoo.com allrhoadescasting@yahoo.com
(310) 452-0863 (310) 968-6409
Sincerely,
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Timothy McAfee, MD, MPH
Director, Office on Smoking and Health
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention
and Health Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention