From the Charleston Gazette-Mail,
“A new initiative to address West Virginia’s staggering smoking rates among pregnant women launched on Wednesday, and represents the first of its kind in the nation to focus on the problem, which plagues West Virginia more than any other state.
…Karen Bowling, secretary of the state’s Department of Health and Human Resources, said the purpose of the initiative is two-fold: to re-evaluate West Virginia’s current approaches to smoking cessation among pregnant women, and to brainstorm innovative ways to impact the state’s rates.
…The DHHR received a grant from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health within U.S. Health and Human Services to launch WVMOMS. Dr. Rahul Gupta, commissioner of the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, said that the jump in smoking rates among poorer women underscores the need for approaches that are tailored to meet the needs of different communities.”