Annual Champions' Meeting Recap

CA Quits held their 2022 Tobacco-Free Champions' meeting on Tuesday, May 24th, 2022. The theme was “Improve. Collaborate. Innovate.” Dr. Karen Mark, Medical Director at the California Department of Health Care Services was the keynote speaker. Dr. Mark addressed CalAIM opportunities and how tobacco treatment prevention partners fit into the state’s overall strategy to improve health outcomes. Tobacco treatment aligns within the following CalAIM strategies: population health management, preventative care, patient-center chronic disease management, whole-person care, and community-centered collaborations.

A total of 125 participants representing local health departments, health systems, health plans, community-based organizations, and state agencies joined to learn how partners can work together to promote tobacco cessation treatment.

This year’s meeting highlighted overarching topics such as:

• Population Health Management Strategies,
• Approaches to Integrate Tobacco Treatment, and
• Improving Health Equity for Tobacco Treatment for Priority Populations

Many thanks to all our presenters and partners who continue to collaborate to improve health equity! Click here to view the recordings and slide decks

2022 Tobacco Learning Collaborative Updates

The CA Quits Tobacco Learning Collaborative (TLC) is in session! This year has been the largest and most diverse TLC cohort to date. A total of 28 participants range from health systems, local health departments, community-based organizations, and one Medi-Cal managed care plan.

The top three goals identified by this cohort are:

• to increase client/patient and community engagement
• to increase referrals to Kick It CA or other cessation services
• to implement and improve tobacco assessment and referral workflow

We look forward to the upcoming months as we continue to foster ideas and relationships, discuss solutions, and learn from each participant on their journey to address their specific goal(s). 

For more information about the TLCs, contact Shannon Haggitt: srhaggitt@ucdavis.edu or Moreen Sharma: mmsharma@ucdavis.edu.

LGBTQ+ Tobacco Cessation Resources

The National LGBT Cancer Network’s Out Proud Free has a variety of information and tobacco cessation resources for those working in the LGBTQ+ communities.

We Breathe, California’s Statewide Coordinating Center to reduce LGBTQ+ tobacco-related disparities, is another great resource.

• Assessment and Counseling Gaps among Former Smokers Eligible for Lung Cancer Screening (LCS) in US Adults (Research). If people are asked "do you smoke now" instead of past-week cigarette use or measured with cotinine, as many as 1 in 5 smokers (nearly 1.5 million) eligible for LCS may be misclassified as former smokers and missed for cessation counseling. Click here for article.

• The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) created a “Health Center Resource Guide for Tobacco Cessation,” a short guide with resources on how to address different health systems change concepts (Guide).

• 7/13/22 (Webinar) American Lung Association (ALA) hosts Partnering with your State Insurance Commissioner to Strengthen Tobacco Cessation Coverage

• 7/27/22 (Webinar) Using Pharmacist to Improve Access to Tobacco Cessation Treatment for Medicaid Enrollees This webcast will highlight how the Vermont Tobacco Control Program worked with state partners, including the state Medicaid program to improve the reach of the Medicaid tobacco cessation benefit by adding pharmacists as recognized providers.

• American Lung Association hosted a webcast, When Quitting Adds Up: Tobacco Cessation and Quality Measures (Recording)