SEATTLE: The Center for Health Promotion (CHP) has selected Waggener Edstrom Bioscience to handle PR responsibilities during its spin-off from Group Health Cooperative and across all of its programs, including those in its primary area of concentration, smoking cessation.
Earlier this month, with the help of a $10 million investment from Polaris Venture Partners, Three Arch Partners, and Kaiser Permanente, the CHP separated itself from Group Health Cooperative, where it was a specialized health unit for close to 20 years. Group Health Cooperative is a Seattle-based nonprofit healthcare system that serves one in 10 Washingtonians.
The CHP has developed Free and Clear, a phone-based program to help people quit smoking. The CHP has also developed studies to evaluate appropriate levels of antismoking medications such as Zyban.