National Working Group for ACTTION

August 27, 2010
Letter from Diane Canova

Dear Partners:

In late July, Partnership for Prevention’s ActionToQuit initiative was pleased to release its new guide, Save Lives and Money – Help People on Medicaid Quit Tobacco.  The guide, prepared in collaboration with the American Lung Association, was released at the National Conference of State Legislators meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.  You can access the guide here.

During the NCSL meeting, the Health Committee, at the initiation of Partnership for Prevention, hosted a special tobacco cessation briefing for state legislators and their staff members from across the country.  The briefing focused on the impact the Massachusetts Medicaid program experienced when it offered and promoted a comprehensive tobacco cessation benefit. Although states have achieved many tobacco control policy advances in smoke free air laws and increased tobacco taxes, policies related to cessation have often lagged behind.  The briefing on Massachusetts’ success combined with the release of the guide was intended to encourage other states to follow Massachusetts’ example.

August 27, 2010
Working with Latinos to Reduce Tobacco-related Disparities

The National Latino Tobacco Control Network is one of the six National Networks for Tobacco Control and Prevention funded by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  ActionToQuit recently spoke with Jeannette Noltenius, MA, PdD, National Director of the NLTCN, to find out more about its activities.

August 27, 2010
ActionToQuit Grantees Moving Forward: New York State

The six ActionToQuit State Grantees are working on their year-long projects to implement innovative strategies to increase access to tobacco cessation treatments.  Each month the newsletter features an interview with a different grantee to share information about their projects.  The interview this month is with New York State.

August 27, 2010
Fire Fighters Act to Stop Smoking

Recognizing that reducing the prevalence of smoking will help firefighters personally by improving their health and physical fitness and will reduce a leading cause of fires, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is working to become the first smoke-free union in North America.  This project is collaboration with Pfizer.

August 27, 2010
Research News

-Cigarettes Do Not Relieve Stress
-People Can Be Taught to Control Cigarette Cravings

August 27, 2010
Odds and Ends

-British National Health Service Reports on Quitting with and without Assistance
-North Carolina Hospitals Will Offer Tobacco Cessation
-Supreme Court Will Not Hear Appeal of Tobacco Racketeering Decision
-Partnership for Prevention and ActionToQuit Launch Listserv

September 23 - 23, 2010
16th Annual Duke Nicotine Research Conference

http://www.dukesmoking.com/?q=content/2010-conference

Durham, North Carolina

October 28 - 28, 2010
Multi-State Collaborative for Health Systems Change 2010 Conference

http://www.multistatecessationcollaborative.org/conference.php

Atlanta, GA

November 12 - 13, 2010
Treating Tobacco Dependence in Mental Health Settings

http://ccoe.umdnj.edu/catalog/medical/11MR02_Nov13_2010.htm

New Brunswick, NJ