The Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division (OHA-PHD), Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Section (HPCDP) will address tobacco-related health disparities caused by flavored tobacco products and menthol in Black and African American, rural and frontier communities across Oregon, including youth in these communities. Despite steady progress, tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in Oregon, with specific communities still experiencing the disproportionate burden of tobacco-caused death and disease. HPCDP will build off the state’s strong foundation of tobacco legislation, robust workforce capacity and statewide infrastructure, and significant network of community partners to build a shared vision for commercial tobacco prevention. HPCDP will accomplish these outcomes through:
• Expanding the existing Tobacco-Free Coalition of Oregon (TOFCO) to a statewide coalition. TOFCO is convened by community-based organization Upstream Public Health and The Center for Black Health and Equity;
• Establishing a new Tobacco Health Disparities Program Coordinator to serve as a full-time program manager dedicated to coordinating statewide and regional coalitions. This position will ensure equitable participation, public support and progress;
• Continuing investment in Regional Health Equity Coalitions and community-based organizations across Oregon to educate, engage, and mobilize communities most impacted by commercial tobacco;
• Increasing public discussion through community-developed communications strategies and materials reaching disproportionately impacted communities, specifically Black and African American and rural and frontier communities;
• Establishing a new Tobacco Health Disparities Cessation coordinator to improve and integrate. This position will align existing and new resources that are community-informed and culturally appropriate, including providing technical assistance to local and state organizations and developing state-specific guidance for tobacco treatment specialists and cessation providers;
• Conducting innovative research, surveillance, and evaluation activities to measure progress and inform equitable adoption, implementation, and enforcement of policies and strategies. Includes evaluation contract oversight and aligning flavored tobacco evaluation efforts with statewide tobacco prevention and cessation evaluations.
This grant funding will integrate statewide and local movement in Oregon and create a shared understanding of how to address social and commercial determinants of commercial tobacco addiction through policy, systems, and environmental change.
