Happy New Year from the PACT Team!
Looking for something to look forward to in the new year? The save the date for our second annual Virtual Day at the Capitol will be released shortly.
Stay tuned for more information!
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Talking to Youth About Vaping
Big Tobacco is intentionally hooking our nation’s kids on e-cigarettes. One way to help stem the current vaping epidemic is to have informed discussions with youth. Part of the American Lung Association’s comprehensive plan to end youth vaping involves equipping adults with the facts about e-cigarettes and supporting conversations with youth. Visit TalkAboutVaping.org to find out why kids vape and the dangers, signs & symptoms. Plus, check out the “Get Your Head Out of the Cloud” public awareness campaign and other free educational resources & guides.
To learn more about the initiative, please click here.
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Wolf Administration Ensures All Pennsylvania Facilities Providing Treatment and Recovery Services Have Access to Resources to Support Tobacco-Free Recovery
The departments of Health, Human Services and Drug & Alcohol Programs (DDAP) today shared their joint commitment to ensure mental health and recovery facilities have access to resources to provide the best quality of care for residents to improve and support tobacco-free recovery. According to DDAP Secretary Jen Smith, “research shows that recovery from tobacco use disorder enhances recovery from substance use disorder. Our goal is to provide drug and alcohol treatment facilities with the relevant research to make informed decisions about their practices.” The Department of Health developed the Statewide Tobacco-Free Recovery Initiative (STFRI) Advisory Board, comprised of advocacy groups, managed care organizations, state regulatory agencies, tobacco control experts and other key leaders in behavioral health treatment services, to inform and guide the initiative. To further support these efforts, the CDC has provided funding to launch a statewide initiative to help behavioral health and treatment facilities become tobacco-free facilities.
To read the full press release, please click here.
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Pennsylvania LGBTQ Survey Shows Health Issues That Also Increase Coronavirus Risk
LiveHealthyPA released the 2020 Pennsylvania LGBTQ Health Needs Assessment, which was administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, and Research & Evaluation Group at Public Health Management Corporation. A total of 6,582 LGBTQ-identified Pennsylvanian respondents across 64 counties, ranging in age from 8 to 92 years old participated in the online English/Spanish survey. About half of respondents ages 18 and older report having used cigarettes at some point in their lives (50.8%) and a quarter of respondents ages 18 and older reported having used e-cigarettes at some point in their lives (25.5%). According to Adrian Shanker, executive director of Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, the assessment highlights “some of the unique challenges that the LGBT community experiences that leave us more vulnerable to COVID-19 — higher smoking rates, higher cancer incidence, etc., and also increased barriers to care.” While the survey presented no evidence that the LGBT population has been harder hit by the virus, the overlapping factors point to their risk.
To continue reading, please click here.
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The Great Disrupter: A Patient Panel on COVID-19
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Patients living with lung disease, such as COPD or lung cancer, are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19. This can be a difficult balancing act of preventing the spread of COVID-19 and assuring necessary care is received. Join us as an expert panel comprised of physicians and patients discuss the challenges of living with a chronic lung disease during the pandemic and offer up steps to maintain your lung & overall health.
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
3 p.m. – 4 p.m. CT
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Asthma Guidelines Updates: A 360 Perspective |
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Join the American Lung Association and our expert speakers to learn more about the newly released NHLBI Expert Panel Report-3: 2020 Focused Updates to the Asthma Management Guidelines. This webcast is ideal for all parties including healthcare professionals, providers, public health, patients, caregivers & the general public. Expert speakers will provide an overview of the guidelines, updates, & new recommendations for care. They will also help launch the Lung Association’s initiative to take a deeper dive and a 360-degree perspective review on translating the new recommendations into practice.
Thursday, January 14, 2021
11am- 12:30pm CT
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