Inside this issue

Quit Line, Live Vape Free Quadruple Free Meds to Support Tobacco Cessation

While supplies last, the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line and Live Vape Free programs are offering eight weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to participants. Enrolled participants must be age 18 or older and medically eligible to qualify for the NRT offer, which includes nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges, or combination packages.

Quit Line and Live Vape Free participants also receive free calls, texts, and online chatting with coaches who provide personalized support. After the promotion ends, both services will revert to a 2-week supply of medications.

Wisconsin residents 13 and older can reach the Quit Line 24/7 by calling 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669) or by visiting WiQuitLine.org. Youth and young adults ages 13-26 who want to specifically quit vaping can text VAPEFREE to 873373 for free help via text. 

Thinking Locally

Please promote this special offer and share it with contacts in your community. 

• Social media toolkit (sample posts, graphics, templates)
• News coverage: 
• Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line expands free nicotine replacement supplies (WSAW-TV)
• Wisconsin’s Tobacco Quit Line quadrupling free medications for users (WMTV-15)

Monthly Observances

As shared in the last movement call, the CTPTP communications team is moving toward providing templates and tools for recognizing health observances at least 1-2 months in advance of the celebration. To provide additional historical context and educational support, Tobacco-Related Disparities Coordinator Claire Piehowski will also share a monthly collection of curated resources that explore historical perspectives, data and evaluation, and promising practices. In case you missed it, materials from Claire’s February email are also listed below each observance as “recommended resources.”

We encourage you to use this comprehensive 2026 Content Calendar for Tobacco Prevention and Treatment Programs plan ahead and consider incorporating messaging themes for each month. 


Black History Month

The Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network (WAATPN), the Wisconsin Tobacco Prevention and Poverty Network (WTPPN), and the Wisconsin Commercial Tobacco Prevention and Treatment Program (CTPTP) are collaboratively hosting two special events in recognition of Black History Month.

• Wednesday, February 4, 2026 | 10 - 11 a.m.
  Virtual Presentation and Screening of Black Lives Black Lungs 
  and discussion led by filmmaker Lincoln Mondy
  Register today

• Friday, February 20, 2026 | 10 - 11 a.m.
  Same Game Different Smokers
  a presentation and discussion with Carol McGruder
  Register today

Thinking Locally

Consider using these Black History Month materials developed by the Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network in your local earned media efforts.

• Black History Month LTE template 
• Social Media posts
• 400 Years, 1 Target 
• Low-SES 
  

Recommended Resources:

• The Center for Black Health and Equity: Health Justice Guide
• Truth Initiative: Tobacco Use in the Black Community
• Public Health Law Center: Strategies to Increase Tobacco Cessation

National Cancer Prevention Month

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among people in the United States -- and nearly 80% of all lung cancers are due to smoking. In Wisconsin, about 4,400 people are diagnosed with lung cancer and more than 2,500 die from this illness each year. February is National Cancer Prevention Month, a perfect time to encourage reflection on lifestyle and behaviors that can support our health, or, conversely, put us at a greater risk of developing cancer. 

Thinking Locally:

• Cancer Prevention LTE 
• Toolkit: Stay Away from Tobacco (American Cancer Society)

Recommended Resources:

• American Lung Association: Racial and Ethnic Disparities
• American Association for Cancer Research: The State of US Cancer Disparities in 2024
• CDC: Cancer Care Settings and Smoking Cessation

American Heart Month

February is also American Heart Month, a time to think about ways we can help our heart health. Here is a Letter to the Editor template that you can use for local earned media and educational outreach opportunities. The template also links to fact sheets and websites to support your customization of the information to best meet the needs of your community.


Recommended Resources:

• CDC: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Heart Disease
• CDC: Cardiovascular Care Settings and Smoking Cessation
• Toolkit: Quit Smoking, Vaping and Tobacco Use (American Heart Association)

Now Live: Youth Prevention Paid Media Campaign

A new flight of the Behind the Haze youth vaping prevention paid media campaign launched on February 2 and will run through April 16, 2026. The statewide campaign will include messaging to Wisconsin teens (ages 13-18) on select social media platforms (Meta, Snapchat) and streaming services (Spotify, YouTube, Twitch). 

The campaign messaging includes two themes -- "Hidden Weaknesses, " which highlights ways vaping impacts lungs and athletic performance, and "Here and Now, " which emphasizes the immediate effects of vaping and nicotine on your mood.

Please feel free to use these social media graphics on your organization’s accounts and reach out with questions about ways to promote this campaign locally. A Behind the Haze fact sheet is also in the works.

Social and Earned Media Guides from NAQC

North American Quitline Consortium Social and Earned Media Guides

For those looking to take a deeper dive into the themes covered in the recent communications office hours sessions, NAQC recently published two comprehensive guides that explore social media and earned media best practices. While the example content focuses on Quit Line promotional themes, the concepts in both guides have broad applications across many areas of commercial tobacco prevention and treatment.

• Social Marketing for the Digital Age
• Earned Media Guide

More Learning Opportunities

• Please see the 2025-26 TTA Plan and Timeline for a full overview of upcoming training and technical assistance events. Review the Welcome Packet for CTPTP-funded partners to learn more about learning opportunities and ways to engage in groups and/or activities that best align with your work. Please contact Alex Peeters with TTA-related inquiries.



• Webinar: Improve Community Health by Strengthening Social Connections - Social connection can reduce the risk of disease, lengthen life expectancy and strengthen a sense of belonging. However, social isolation and loneliness are widespread, and rates continue to rise. The February 17 (2 p.m.) County Health Rankings and Roadmaps webinar will make the case for socially connected communities and provide participants with guidance to take action. Register today.

• Training: Media Relations Capacity Building for Public Health Communicators - This free, two-hour course from Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC) aims to equip communicators with the skills and confidence to work proactively with the media. It is the latest training in a series of on-demand communications-focused modules from PHCC.