TOBACCO CONTROL PARTNERS
TOBACCO GRANT
Health Ed Pros strives to create healthier communities in the State of Indiana through effective and interactive health education. The Indiana Department of Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Commission (TPC) has chosen to aid Health Ed Pros in their mission by providing grant funding specializing in tobacco prevention. Health Ed Pros works with Head Start centers and similar organizations to provide tobacco education for their staff and families.
Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke get sick more often, suffering from ear infections, asthma attacks, bronchitis, and pneumonia. Sadly, more than 1,300 Hoosiers die from exposure to secondhand smoke each year. Adults with lower income and education levels use tobacco/vapes at higher rates, which makes Head Start and similar organizations ideal partners.
Parents may be unknowingly contributing to their child’s health problems, like asthma, by exposing them to second and thirdhand smoke/vapor in their home or car. Trained staff can help parents make the connection between their tobacco use and related health problems and encourage parents to maintain smoke/vape free environments for children, and to create a smoke/vape free lifestyle by quitting.
BREATHE: HEALTHY STEPS TO LIVING TOBACCO FREE
The “Breathe” program focuses on educating the staff at Head Start and similar partner organizations as well as families about the harms of second and thirdhand smoke/vapor and how to lessen exposure for their family. Participants learn how second and thirdhand smoke/vapor hurts, what exposure costs and how they can quit.
Participating partners receive free, hands-on training to help educate staff how tobacco/e-cigarette use may impact the families they serve, and the program is designed to help fulfill federal Head Start performance standards. Free educational materials are also available for trained partners to help promote living smoke/vape-free among the families they serve.
“Breathe” provides Head Start centers and similar organizations with free annual trainings and free educational materials, such as flip charts, parent handouts, parent/child activity booklets, interactive worksheets, engaging videos, materials in Spanish, and more, so staff members will have the right expertise and tools to be successful in helping their families become and stay smoke/vape-free.
CURRENT BREATHE PARTNERS
Health Ed Pros has partnered with the following organizations:
- Bauer Family Services (Carroll, Clinton, Tippecanoe, and White Counties)
- Carey Services (Grant County)
- Community Action Program of Western Indiana (Benton, Warren, Fountain, Vermillion, Parke, Montgomery, and Boone Counties)
- Community Development Institute (Hendricks, Morgan, and Owen Counties)
- Community & Family Services (Blackford, Huntington, Wells, Adams, Jay, and Randolph Counties)
- Community Care in Union County (Union County)
- Freemont Community Schools (Steuben and LaGrange Counties)
- Goodwill Nurse Family Partnership
- Indiana Department of Health Asthma Department
- Indiana Department of Health Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome Program
- Indiana WIC
- Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission (Newton, Jasper, and Pulaski Counties)
- Pathfinder Services (Huntington County)
- Riley Hospital for Children Respiratory Department
- Southeastern Indiana Economic Opportunity Corporation (Dearborn, Franklin, Ohio, Ripley, and Switzerland Counties)
More coming soon…
2023-2025 GRANT CYCLE
Health Ed Pros was awarded a third round of funding and granted 75,000 from the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Commission (TPC) to continue promoting the “Breathe” curriculum across the state of Indiana to Head Start centers and similar partners.
The Health Ed Pros team continues to modify and improve “Breathe” trainings and associated materials, in partnership with McMillen Health, to make sure participating partners have relevant and useful educational resources. Health Ed Pros also provides training and technical assistance to local TPC funded partners on the “Breathe” program.
In unfunded counties with no tobacco cessation resources, Health Ed Pros strives to make marginalized and low income populations a priority and to educate them on the dangers of secondhand smoking and vaping, especially for children, and the benefits of a smoke/vape free environment.
Health Ed Pros also partners with United Way of Central Indiana and utilizes their online poverty simulation to gain a better understanding of the challenges faced by low-income families and to facilitate discussions around effective tobacco control work in this population. Click here to complete the poverty simulation:
KNOW THE FACTS ABOUT TOBACCO
- The tobacco industry spends 2.5 Million every day on marketing, with aggressive methods aimed at minorities, youth, communities with low income households, and LGBTQ+ communities.
- Tobacco kills 480,000 Americans every year; more than car accidents, aids, homicides, and alcohol combined.
- Nearly 29% of Indiana adults currently use some form of tobacco, and many use more than one form of tobacco - 19% use cigarettes; 12% use
e-cigarettes.
- Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of premature death and disease in the US.
- 10.7% of Indiana residents reported using any kind of tobacco product during their pregnancy
- Tobacco use during pregnancy can cause preterm labor, miscarriage, low birthweight, and so much more.
- Even those who don’t smoke are at risk of health effects from secondhand smoke and one in four non-tobacco users are exposed to secondhand smoke. 1,300 Hoosiers die each year from OTHERS smoking.
- Thirdhand smoke includes the chemicals and toxins in smoke that settle on all surfaces and linger even after the person stops smoking or leaves the room/car. Thirdhand smoke is dangerous to everyone, especially infants and children.
- E-cigarettes are the most commonly used nicotine product among Hoosier youth.
- The U.S. Surgeon General declared e-cigarette usage by minors an epidemic as vaping has become the biggest increase in youth substance abuse EVER recorded.
- E-cigarette aerosol is NOT harmless “water vapor” and using e-cigarettes is NOT a proven cessation strategy.
- Hoosiers interested in quitting can call Quit Now Indiana at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) for FREE assistance that is available 24/7 or they can text READY to 34191 or log on to quitnowindiana.com.
TOBACCO CONTROL LINKS AND RESOURCES
Learn more about Indiana tobacco control efforts at: https://www.in.gov/health/tpc/
For help quitting tobacco call 1-800-Quit-Now or log on http://quitnowindiana.com/.
American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/
American Lung Association of Indiana: http://www.lungIN.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco
National Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids: http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/
The Truth Initiative: https://truthinitiative.org/
VOICE – Indiana Youth Speaking Out Against Big Tobacco: http://www.voiceindiana.org/
Vape Free Indiana: https://www.in.gov/vapefreeindiana/
World Health Organization - Tobacco Free Initiative: https://www.who.int/westernpacific/about/how-we-work/programmes/tobacco-free-initiative
IHSAA & IDOH Don’t Puff This Stuff: https://dontpuffthisstuff.com/
Parents Against Vaping E-cigarettes: https://www.parentsagainstvaping.org/
FOR MORE INFORMATION