Who We Are
Free & Clear, Inc., formerly The Center for Health Promotion, Inc., was originally a department of Group Health Cooperative, a consumer-managed, regional health system serving more than 600,000 members in the Pacific Northwest. Free & Clear's Quit For Life® Program evolved over 20 years ago out of research funded by the National Cancer Institute to test the effectiveness of telephonic smoking cessation treatment. The results of the study showed that combining self-management materials with cessation calls boosted quit rates over 50% compared to controls. Since that time Free & Clear has established itself as a national leader in tobacco dependence treatment.
In November 2003, The Center for Health Promotion spun off from Group Health Cooperative under the direction of a group of venture capitalists including Polaris Venture Partners, Three Arch Partners and Kaiser Permanente Ventures to officially form Free & Clear, Inc. as an independent business. In July 2004, Tim Kilgallon was appointed CEO.
Despite changes in business structure, Free & Clear remains mission-based and wholly committed to treating tobacco addiction so that participants can reduce their health risk for dangerous and chronic diseases and live healthier, more productive lives.
Today, Free & Clear works with national health care leaders such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to continually improve its treatment model and expand its reach to help more people gain access to Free & Clear’s evidence-based, tested and validated program.