National Working Group for ACTTION

July 28, 2010

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

ActionToQuit:
Can you give our readers some basic information about your project—who is leading the project and the project title?

Virginia:
Our project is called Virginia Partnership for Tobacco Use Cessation.

Prevention Connections is the lead agency and our main partners are the American Cancer Society and the Alliance for the Prevention and Treatment of Nicotine Addiction (a non-profit organization doing provider training).

ActionToQuit:
Can you give us a brief summary of the project?

Virginia:
We have two main objectives—to increase the availability and coverage of cessation treatment for the population at large and in behavioral health systems.  We very much want to engage behavioral health systems in the cessation process.

ActionToQuit:
Do you have any non-traditional partners, or are there some you would like to work with?

Virginia:
We have several behavioral health partners, which is not usual for this kind of project. These include the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; Mental Health of America Virginia, Daily Planet (health/behavioral health services provider for the homeless), and local Community Services Boards.

ActionToQuit:
Can you give us a brief snapshot of cessation policy in your state?

Virginia:
Some employers have coverage, and some contract with the state quit line.  The state provides coverage for its employees.  The quit line provides ongoing counseling for Medicaid recipients and pregnant women; all others receive only one counseling session.  The stimulus funding is providing for some expansion of the quit line.

Providers are not doing enough to ask patients about smoking.  More training is needed in this area.  And cessation is not a priority in behavioral health.

ActionToQuit:
Can you tell us a little about your summit?

Virginia:
Our summit will be held in Richmond in September.  We hope to have 75 stakeholders attend.  We are inviting decision makers such as CEOs, but are allowing them to bring a staff person who will be responsible for implementation of the plan elements developed at the summit.

The summit will begin with a few presentations, including one on how health care reform affects cessation, the status of cessation in Virginia, and a consumer discussing the personal effect of lack of access to cessation services. After these presentations, the bulk of the day will be spent in breakout sessions discussing plan elements.  The initial breakouts will be set up by sector, such as health providers, behavioral health, insurers, and employers.  Later in the day, the sectors will merge to discuss ways that they relate to each other.   At the end of the day, all participants will reconvene to report on their discussions.

Two follow-up sessions are planned for December and January to develop a final plan. 

ActionToQuit:
What obstacles do you face?

Virginia:
We need a hook to encourage attendance at the summit.  We are hoping that a discussion of health care reform will help.  A full day of a CEO’s time for strategic planning for cessation is a lot to ask.  Employer groups will likely be hard to draw in.

The issue of funding for implementation is definitely an obstacle.  We need to identify steps that can be taken with no or minimal funding so that we can go beyond talk.

ActionToQuit:
Has there been any reaction or response to your plans yet?

Virginia:
It is early in the process but we did receive letters of support from 15 organizations as part of our grant application.

ActionToQuit:
What would you like to be different in your state one year from now?

Virginia:
Some changes:
• Behavioral health providers giving cessation treatment a higher priority (or doing it at all),
• Insurers contributing to the quit line,
• Offering the quit line to a broader population, and
• Getting providers more engaged in addressing cessation with their patients.