Apr 26, 2011
Letter from Diane Canova

Dear Partners,

Workplace policy is an important tool in improving public health.  In this period of austerity in government budgets, the workplace has become a more significant locus of policy to help employees improve and maintain their health.  Tobacco free policies and support for tobacco use treatment not only improve employee health, but also are highly cost-effective.  Tobacco use has both direct and indirect costs.  Smoking-related illnesses lead to substantial health care costs and tobacco use decreases employee productivity.  Individuals who quit using tobacco experience significant health benefits and the organizations they work for yield positive returns.

Apr 26, 2011
Tobacco Use Cessation in the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has a long history of attempting to reduce smoking among veterans and has worked very hard to make evidence-based smoking cessation a routine part of the health care it provides.  Smoking prevalence among veterans enrolled for outpatient care in 2010 was under 20%, down significantly from a prevalence of about 33% in 1999.  Outpatients with co-morbidities in the mental health clinics had a 39% smoking prevalence.  This differential is also seen in other populations.

Apr 26, 2011
NC Prevention Partners Lead in Hospital Cessation Efforts

NC Prevention Partners is a nonprofit organization based in North Carolina that is doing some interesting and successful work in tobacco cessation and other health issues that affect preventable death and disease.  Since 1998 NC Prevention Partners has accumulated a list of accomplishments starting with a voluntary insurance reform campaign to have health insurance plans cover preventive health services.  They also played a critical role in advocating for dedicated health and wellness funds from North Carolina’s tobacco settlement with the tobacco industry.  ActionToQuit recently spoke with Melva Fager Okun, DrPH, Senior Program Manager with NC Prevention Partners. Dr. Okun manages the Healthy NC Hospitals Initiative. She helped North Carolina hospitals develop and implement 100% tobacco-free campus wide policies. North Carolina hospitals led the nation in this initiative. Dr. Fager Okun is currently working with hospital leaders to increase their support for hospital employees and patients to quit the use of tobacco.

Apr 26, 2011
ActionToQuit Grantees Moving Ahead: Iowa

The 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 activities and progress.  The interview this month is with Iowa.

Apr 26, 2011
Research Notes

-Systems-Level Smoking Cessation Activities by Private Health Plans

-Promoting Tobacco Cessation Via the Workplace: Opportunities for Improvement

Apr 26, 2011
Odds and Ends

-Priority Actions for the Non-Communicable Disease Crisis

-ActionToQuit Grantee Summit in Action

There are no key dates for this briefing.