Joint Winners of Tobacco Control Award announced

Tom Power Medal Awarded to Valerie Coghlan of ASH Ireland and HSE smoking cessation team in Bray. 

ASH Ireland’s Valerie Coghlan and members of the HSE Dublin-Mid Leinster smoking cessation team, based in Bray, were today (Tuesday, 2nd December) awarded with Tom Power Medal. The awards were presented by the Office of Tobacco Control (OTC) Chairperson, Norma Cronin and CEO, Éamonn Rossi, at a special awards lunch in Dublin. 

Ms. Coghlan received the award for her commitment and support to ASH Ireland and the wider tobacco control agenda in Ireland for over 14 years. The second medal was awarded to Marie Therese Crotty, Vincent Moran and Mary Desmond, of the HSE, for developing a literacy-friendly behavioural programme for those seeking to quit smoking titled “Low Literacy Resources for Smoking Cessation”.

Ms Cronin explained that the Tom Power Medal, which is sponsored by the public relations agency, Montague Communications, was presented in honour of the OTC’s late Chief Executive Officer, Tom Power.

“Tom Power dedicated himself to reducing the burden of disease and death caused by tobacco nationally and globally. Tom was instrumental in the introduction of the landmark smoke-free workplace legislation in Ireland and he passionately believed in the participation of civil society in the battle against the tobacco epidemic.”

According to Mr. Rossi, “the Tom Power Medal will be awarded each year, in honour of Tom’s dedication to tobacco control and in the spirit of his vision, to a person or group who has demonstrated commitment, leadership and vision to defeat the tobacco epidemic in Ireland.”

Mr. Rossi explained that Ms. Coghlan’s personal commitment and contribution to tobacco control issues in Ireland over a 14 year period is particularly noteworthy. “Valerie has contributed significantly to ASH Ireland’s overall plan and objectives and has administered all of the organisations’ campaigns.  Her commitment, during and after office hours, to an organisation in which she is the sole employee is commendable.”

Ms. Coghlan has also served as ASH Ireland’s representative on the European Network for Smoking Prevention (ENSP) since its inception.

Mr. Rossi added that the development of the Low Literacy Resources for Smoking Cessation pack was especially significant in terms of identifying and responding to the needs of a key client group. “The quality of the resources developed, the extent of take-up among the client group and the outcome of the pilot and evaluation stages of the project were all very impressive. Marie Therese, Vincent and Mary developed the pack to meet the needs of smokers with literacy difficulties and to assist and provide them with the essential steps to make a positive attempt to quit.”

The low literacy resources for smoking cessation were approved by the National Adult Literacy Agency. The development of the pack included substituting text with illustrations, high graphic content, using everyday words and making sentences concise. The resource pack was pilot tested with a selection of clients and inputs were taken from colleagues in other regions and organisations. An accompanying CD was developed which made the resources available in an accessible and cost efficient format.