Diageo Sponsors Medical Society of the State of New York's Physicians Traini...( NORWALK Conn. Sept. 17 /- Diageo ...)

NORWALK, Conn., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Diageo (NYSE: DEO), the world's leading spirits, wine and beer company, is proud to announce its sponsorship of a physician's training program in screening and brief intervention techniques developed by the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY).

The program, funded entirely by Diageo as an unrestricted grant, is being developed to better prepare physicians to address and assess issues related to alcohol abuse. This training program is being designed for physicians in four medical disciplines using the NIAAA's screening and brief intervention tool for use in primary care settings and the emergency department. Numerous clinical trials, including those sponsored by NIAAA and the World Health Organization, have shown that screening and brief interventions by physicians can play a pivotal role in helping patients that abuse alcohol.

"Diageo is proud to support the MSSNY brief intervention program which is in alignment with our commitment to responsible drinking," said Guy Smith, Executive Vice President of Diageo North America. Smith continued, "This collaborative effort is a first for our industry and hopefully the beginning of a step change in the way we address the misuse of beverage alcohol."

The program is comprised of a physician training module that includes formal presentations, an online program and a CD, all containing the tools necessary to conduct the screening and guidelines for implementing brief interventions. The initiative will also be supported by an awareness campaign as well as pre- and post-physician evaluations of the program.

The program will train physicians first to screen patients and to assess whether they are fa
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