Friday, November 22, 2024
11/22/2024
According to the 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data, Arkansas has the 5th highest rate of smoking in the nation. This ranking is just one piece of data that emphasizes the serious need Arkansas has for continued tobacco control measures. The Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program (TPCP) at the Arkansas Department of Health seeks to continue and expand the efforts that are underway to combat the use of all tobacco and nicotine products in this state. With Component One of this grant, TPCP will continue their efforts to reduce youth initiation to tobacco/nicotine products, provide cessation resources to those who wish to quit, decrease exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS), and address disparities in tobacco control. For reducing youth initiation, TPCP will continue to educate youth on the dangers of tobacco/nicotine, with a special focus on electronic cigarettes. Project Prevent is the very robust youth coalition that TPCP funds. Their activities within their 66 chapters around the state are leading the charge with youth in Arkansas on addressing the current e-cigarette crisis by promoting social norms, and talking to local thought leaders about potential policy change. Cessation programs for youth and adults will be expanded to include Be Well Baby and additional trainings for Dimensions. Mass media campaigns that promote cessation programs and expose the dangers of secondhand smoke will be ongoing to compliment all of TPCP’s efforts. For Component Two, TPCP will continue to operate Be Well Arkansas (BWA). BWA is the only cessation call center in the nation to be operated by a state department of health. BWA provides direct cessation services to eligible callers, along with nicotine replacement therapy. To ensure call center services continue without interruption, BWA intends to expand by four employees. These employees will be tobacco treatment specialists that can provide culturally-competent services to those who wish to quit tobacco. Additionally, mass communication campaigns that promote BWA will continue during this grant cycle. All current and future activities within TPCP will be designed with disparities in mind. With 42% Arkansas’s population considered rural, and just under one-third of our total population receiving Medicaid, TPCP has a large population that is directly impacted by tobacco use. Lowering the overall smoking rate, reducing the initiation rate of youth, and increasing impressions to mass media efforts will be some of the ways in which TPCP measures the success of this project.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
