Recorded presentation

Michael P. Kennedy, MGA, MPH, CHES, Administration, Mecklenburg County Health Department, 249 Billingsley Road, Charlotte, NC 28211-1097, 704-432-1107, mike.kennedy@carolinashealthcare.org and Ebony Randall, MA, Health Promotion, Mecklenburg County Health Department, 249 Billingsley Road, Charlotte, NC 28211-1097.

The historical place of tobacco in the life and economy of North Carolina as well as the political clout of tobacco companies have presented many challenges to smoking prevention and cessations efforts. Mecklenburg County’s Project ASSIST, funded by the CDC, has been successful in achieving significant policy advances in the local community, including the establishment of public school campuses as tobacco-free and the unprecedented support of the county commissioners for an increase in the state excise tax.

This presentation will outline the development of an active anti-tobacco coalition drawing from different sectors of the community that provided the leadership that prompted policy changes. It will also discuss the implementation of strategies that moved the anti-smoking effort from policy to practice, and how it was integrated with other community-wide health promotion initiatives. Participants will learn from successes, and lessons learned in the process.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Understand strategies for building community coalitions for tobacco prevention
• 2. Identify necessary steps in changing historical policies
• 3. Describe critical follow-up steps for transforming policy change into practice

Keywords: Tobacco Policy, Policy/Policy Development

Related Web page: www.goforatmosphere.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation