Pennsylvania Congressman Announces Over $145,800 in Grant Money for a Bucks County Small Business That Uses Technology to Help Patients Break Addictions to Nicotine

Bristol, PA-- Today, Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8th district) proudly announced that an 8th district small business would receive grant money from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) office of the Department of Health and Human Services. The company receiving the grant, Polaris Health Directions, was awarded the money for a system they developed that helps people quit smoking. Polaris Health was awarded $145,888 for their drug abuse and addiction research programs. The grant, known as an NIH/NIDA grant, will benefit the Commercial Computer Assisted Brief Intervention for Tobacco (CABIT) system. The CABIT system will assist health care providers to motivate smokers to quit and help patients break their addiction to nicotine.

“Polaris has developed a system to help people suffering from addiction and hopefully this grant money will go along way to improving the lives of 8th district families,” said Congressman Patrick Murphy. “I am glad that the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the Department of Health and Human Services has recognized Polaris Health Directions for their work in using technology and new systems to help fight addiction. This grant of more than $145,000 will mean that smokers seeking to quit will be more successful, and that their lives will improve as a result.”

“Polaris is pleased that it has been awarded NIH/NIDA grant for the development of the Computer Assisted Brief Intervention for Tobacco (CABIT) system,” said Martin Nankin, Principal of Polaris Health Directions. “The CABIT will assist health care providers to motivate smokers to quit. It will help patients break their addiction to nicotine, and may save the lives of those with lung cancer and other life-threatening medical conditions that are exacerbated by smoking.”

About Polaris Health Directions:

Polaris Health Directions provides behavioral health treatment support systems for a range of health care environments. Combining innovative technology with, proprietary assessment products, they help physicians and other medical treatment providers, behavioral health professionals, managed care organizations, pharmaceutical companies, government agencies and healthcare systems to:

• Integrate medical and behavioral treatment
• Detect and monitor behavioral health problems
• Evaluate, manage and improve treatment programs
• Assess the nature and severity of individual patient needs and manage risk
• Support clinical decision-making
• Improve patient compliance, adherence and retention