Chronic Disease Prevention and Tobacco Control
In 2003 and 2004, program
policy was changed to include tobacco prevention initiatives in Florida Health
Department’s Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention program activities. The Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention
(BCDP) worked with Department of Health Awareness and Tobacco to help maintain
the tobacco prevention focus.
Policy Initiation
When the Tobacco Prevention
funds were drastically reduced (public health crisis), the key leader and
policy makers decided to expand the Heart Disease and Stroke Program to include
tobacco prevention initiatives.
Public Health Agency Roles
The Department of Health
played the major role in adjusting a program to maintain tobacco prevention
initiatives.
Official Support
The Secretary of the
Department of Health, Deputy Secretary for the Department of Health, Director
for the Division of Health Awareness and Tobacco, and Chief for the Bureau of
Chronic Disease Prevention supported this initiative.
Results from the Policy
There were 59 policy or
environmental adult tobacco intervention initiatives in 2003-2004 and 16
through the third quarter of 2004-05.
Additionally, there were 26 policy or environmental youth tobacco
intervention initiatives in 2003-2004 and 5 more through the third quarter of
2004-2005.
Examples of Adult policy and
environmental initiatives include:
·
Expanding
worksite wellness programs to include smoking cessation resources and/ or
classes.
·
Implementing
policy at County Health Departments to assess client’s tobacco use and refer to
cessation resources as appropriate.
·
Passage of No
Smoking ordinances in local parks
Examples of Youth policy and
environmental initiatives include:
·
School
administration endorsement and commitment to continue support of Students
Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) organizations.
·
Provide school
nurses training on brief interventions for adolescents who smoke. Nursing
students prepare and deliver educational kits to all middle and high schools.
·
Establish a
tobacco-free policy for all school sponsored events including sports.
Lessons Learned
The most important lesson
learned was that public health leaders and policy makers can be creative in
assuring that essential services can be delivered. A Memorandum of Agreement between programs
specifying roles and responsibilities has been helpful and assures
accountability.
Opposition
There was no opposition to
the policy change that was made. Since
funding for tobacco prevention efforts were so severely cut, the effort to
maintain/sustain the prevention and cessation services that we could required a
collaborative effort involving all parties.
Submitted By
Susan Allen
Program Administrator Heart
Disease and Stroke Prevention Program
FL Dept. of Health - Bureau
of Chronic Disease Prevention
HSFCD Bin #A18
(850) 245-4369
(850) 414-6625 FAX
For Additional Information Contact:
Wes Payne
Program Administrator
Chronic Disease Health Promotion and Education Program
Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion
850-245-4330
850-414-6625 FAX