Inside this issue

2026-27 Education Packet

The 2026-27 Education Packet highlighting "The State of Tobacco in Wisconsin" is now available -- both in print and online. Please use the packet and the supplemental tools outlined below to help share these key messages with coalition members, during informational meetings, or in other community conversations.

• Presentation slides (PowerPoint, Google Slides, PDF formats)
• Presentation graphics
• Social media content
• References webpage (accessible via QR code/link on the packet
• Additional facts, figures & talking points (Google Doc)

If you want to post the packet to your website, please include some context with the link or graphic. One suggestion is: "This document illustrates current issues in commercial tobacco prevention, treatment, and control in Wisconsin. To learn about and join local efforts, contact YOUR COALITION. Updated August 2026.”

Additional support:

To request additional printed copies of the packet, please contact Kayleigh Day. For questions or requests regarding the supplemental digital resources, please contact Ashley Voss.

Harm Reduction Resources

As mentioned during the Virtual Convening, a new fact sheet outlining the tobacco industry's misuse of harm reduction language is now published in the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) online library. The document provides an overview of Big Tobacco’s current tactics to drive addiction and sell more products by twisting harm reduction strategies. Please use this information in your educational outreach efforts and to address misinformation in your community.

Related: Review presentation recordings, slides, and additional materials in the Summer Convening Resource Folder. An additional nicotine pouch-specific fact sheet will be published by DHS soon.

Back to School Tools

As students return to classrooms in your area, please explore these resources and consider sharing information with district contacts, parents, and other community members:

• Best Practices Guide: Addressing Youth Vaping and Nicotine Use in Schools (WISH Center)
• New Nicotine Product Talking Points:
• For School Professionals
• For Parents and Caretakers
• Alternatives to Suspension
• Coordinator message and map
• ATS Assessment Report (Feb. 2026)
• Behind the Haze – youth prevention campaign
• Social media graphics and captions - vaping impacts
• Tobacco is Changing
• Learn the Products fact sheet (English and Spanish)
• Back to school/mental health social media
• Resources for education professionals

September Themes and Observances

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

Please use the templates and guidance below to support your monthly earned media efforts. For questions and/or assistance with LTE templates, please reach out to Annie Rosemurgy. For help with repurposing this content for social media, newsletters, or other platforms, please contact Ashley Voss.

Messaging Angles

Addiction as a treatable condition, connecting with youth around school stress, nicotine’s mental health harms, identifying nicotine products that look like school supplies, Hispanic and tobacco use disparities, Tobacco’s link to Alzheimer’s, tobacco and nicotine’s impact on lung health.

Month-long themes

• Healthy Aging Month - Letter to the editor template
• Hispanic Heritage Month - Facts, figures, and resources to address tobacco use in Hispanic and Latino communities

Key observances

• Sept. 21 – World Alzheimer’s Day - Smoking and Alzheimer’s overview
• Sept. 25 – World Lung Day - Letter to the editor template
• Sept. 26 – National Family Health & Fitness Day - Youth sports and vaping cessation benefits overview
• Sept. 29 – World Heart Day - Letter to the editor template
• Sept. 30 – National Women’s Health and Fitness Day
• Report & Fact Sheet: The Facts About Women and Tobacco
• Article: How Big Tobacco Targets Women in E-cigarette Marketing

New ASTHO Fact Sheets

With support from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) recently published a fact sheet series that summarizes the continued need for investments in comprehensive tobacco control programs like the Wisconsin Commercial Tobacco Prevention and Treatment Program. The series takes a closer look at the five essential components of those programs, citing federal data sources and relevant journal literature. 

• Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs Work
• Cessation Interventions
• Infrastructure, Administration, and Management
• Mass-Reach Health Communication Interventions
• State and Community Interventions
• Surveillance and Evaluation

New Online Learning Tools

New training added to UW Population Health Institute asynchronous learning series

Develop or refine core public health skills at your own pace with UWPHI’s free, on-demand learning series. Each training includes brief videos and corresponding activities that can be completed by individual learners or in a group setting. Get started today with trainings in narrative and communications topics, as well as a newly added community partnerships development series. 

• Narratives in Wisconsin Public Health
• Public Health Communications Planning
• Community Partnerships Development

Upcoming Learning Opportunities

Please see the 2026-27 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.