May 19, 2009
Letter from Diane Canova

Dear Partners,

Welcome to the second issue of the ACTTION Update – a monthly newsletter informing the members, endorsers and others interested in furthering the mission of the national Call for ACTTION (Access to Cessation Treatment of Tobacco In Our Nation). 

May 19, 2009
Call for ACTTION: Employer and Insurer Organizations to Host Webinar Series

On April 16, Partnership for Prevention convened high-level representatives from employer and insurer organizations – two key sectors in the Call for ACTTION’s mission to provide greater access to comprehensive cessation treatments to tobacco users looking to quit. The meeting was to elicit greater insights and commitments from the attendees on how best to communicate the Call for ACTTION recommendations to their members, partners and affiliates. Meeting participants agreed to co-host a series of Webinars to discuss relevant recommendations and showcase organizational successes in providing tobacco cessation coverage.

May 19, 2009
Calls to Quitlines Skyrocket in Wake of Tax Increase

Last month, the ACTTION Update reported on the April 1 federal tax increase on tobacco products, which raised the federal cigarette tax from 39 cents a pack to $1.01, and had the potential to lead more than a million U.S. smokers to quit. One organization that has seen first-hand the effect of this tax increase on tobacco users’ intent to quit is the North American Quitline Consortium (NAQC). We were able to talk with Linda Bailey, President and CEO of NAQC, to get the real picture of how quitlines have fared over the past six weeks.

There are no key dates for this briefing.