2. While these decisions may take some time to be resolved, what current tobacco prevention and control efforts will your agency be working on?
Allina
Tobacco control efforts at Allina are comprehensive and evidence-based, built in collaboration with partners in public health, schools and community groups.
Cessation: A key impetus to begin smoking is parents and peers who smoke. Allina's tobacco control efforts begin with smoking status identification and cessation in clinics and hospitals.
Prevention: In collaboration with the National Theatre for Children and the University of Minnesota, Allina developed the theatrical production 2 Smart 2 Smoke for elementary schools as a way to impact attitudes and knowledge in this age group. In addition, Project ACT (Awesome Challenge to be Tobacco Free), a curriculum under study in four Minneapolis elementary schools, involves a multi-modal approach for parents, students and school staff. Project ACT focuses on tobacco prevention in grades four through seven.
Research: The Shakopee and St. Francis Create a Tobacco-Free Future research study, shows the synergistic effect of mobilizing a regional health system and a community organizing model for tobacco control.
Worksite Plans: Medica Health Plan has developed a benefit design that will cover smoking cessation pharmacotherapy and has two demonstration projects underway.
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society (ACS) will continue to partner with the Minnesota Department of Health on the Minnesota ASSIST Project. Technical assistance will be provided to local ASSIST Coalitions and local ACS volunteers in the area of policy and media advocacy.
We recently hired a Grass-roots Advocacy Coordinator. This person will focus their efforts during the summer and fall of 1998 on building our Quick Response Team (grassroots network) in preparation for the upcoming legislative session.
We are in the process of investigating a number of youth cessation programs from around the country. Our goal is to offer a youth cessation program sometime in the summer of 1999.
Attorney General's Office
The settlement dedicated $202 million, or three percent of the total, for smoking cessation, tobacco research and other initiatives. This is in addition to the funding we're requesting from the legislature.
We've proposed that these dedicated funds be administered by the new nonprofit Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco (MPAAT). If the court approves, my office will be working to get the Partnership going.
We are also implementing the health provisions of the Settlement. For example, by October 23, tobacco billboards will be coming down, and on December 31 tobacco companies will be barred from distributing branded merchandise, like Camel t-shirts and Marlboro backpacks.
At the federal level, we continue to work for stronger national tobacco policies. And, of course, we'll be monitoring the industry's advertising.
Department of Health
The Minnesota Department of Health is working on a wide variety of tobacco prevention activities, including building the capacity of local public health agencies and other groups by allotting more than $2 million for community grants, training and technical assistance; compiling and distributing information on tobacco-use rates; monitoring enforcement of federal and state laws to reduce youth access to tobacco through Synar and FDA compliance checks; enforcing the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act and rules; and strengthening communication and coordination among tobacco prevention partners at the local, state and federal levels. In addition, the Minnesota Health Improvement Partnership, an advisory group to the Commissioner of Health, has convened to review statewide plans, determine components, identify players and clarify roles.
Department of Children, Families and Learning
We are linking Coordinated School Health (CSH) and tobacco-use prevention initiatives and continuing to make the connections to the Graduation Standards. We provide trainings for teachers on Programs That Work. Two middle school curricula that have evidence of effectiveness are Life Skills and Project TNT. We are building connections among county and community public health educators and key school contacts including health education teachers and At-Risk (Safe and Drug Free Schools) Coordinators. In addition, we:
BlueCross BlueShield
BlueCross is attacking tobacco use on four fronts:
HealthPartners
HealthPartners will push forward on a range of tobacco control activities: cessation programs, research, community and public policy activities and litigation against the tobacco companies. Health-Partners' cessation programs include classes and support groups offered by clinics and our unique telephone counseling offered by the Partners for Better Health Phone Line. Research is underway to examine HealthPartners' new pharmacy benefit that includes the patch, gum and Wellbutrin (Zyban). As in the past, HealthPartners will support legislation to reduce youth access to tobacco and oppose bills that threaten to weaken the existing legislation in this area.
Smoke-Free Coalition/Assn. for Nonsmokers
The Coalition and ANSR will focus very heavily on ensuring that at least 11 percent of the tobacco settlement goes towards prevention and intervention efforts. ANSR will also focus on reducing exposure to secondhand smoke in rental housing and in blue collar and manufacturing workplaces. The Coalition will continue to engage you in the struggle for tobacco control and will work to involve more diverse populations in the mission of the Coalition.
Local Public Health Association
The Local Public Health Association is a statewide organization representing local government community health service administrators, public health nursing directors and environmental health directors. Local public health has a long history of preventing tobacco use particularly among youth and in maternal child health services. Recently, local public health has been integrally involved in the leadership of local tobacco policy changes and community coalitions working to create sustained community change.