Update from Action to Quit

ActionToQuit posting, reposted at http://www.tobaccodeathray.blogspot.com

The DHHS and the National Center for Tobacco Policy are co-sponsoring a reprise of last year’s successful “Summit on Tobacco Policy.” Like its predecessor, Summit II will bring together those with experience in tobacco-free college campus policy with those considering, or in the process of implementing, such a policy. The conference will be held June 12-14, 2013 at the Kansas City Airport Marriott Hotel. For information about Summit II visit www.tobaccofreepolicysummit.com.

 

Resources shared by Gustavo Torrez  of Fenway Health posted at http://www.tobaccodeathray.blogspot.com,

I wanted to share one resource of a report compiled by Dathan Johnson at the Arkansas Department of Public Health, Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Program:
http://www.lgbttobacco.org/files/ArkansasLGBTSurvey.pdf

In addition, we created a sharing our lessons document around treatment for LGBT + communities:
http://www.lgbttobacco.org/files/HIV%20SOL%20Final.pdf

I am sure we will get more resources from the field but here are a couple to start off with along with a link back to our resource library with similar resources:
http://www.google.com/cse?cx=007089905494273129946%3Ah28wxiuzz7w&cof=FORID%3A0&q=SOL+hiv+tobacco+treatment&sa.x=0&sa.y=0#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=HIV

Feb 28 deadline for Consortium Nomination

Reposted at http://www.keystothecloset.blogspot.com,

Less than 10 days are remaining to recommend candidates for the NAQC Board of Directors.  We are counting on you to help us find outstanding candidates. All NAQC members may submit candidate names and you are welcome to recommend names of candidates whom you nominated in past  years.

This year, we will be electing up to 3 new directors. It is our intention to put forward up to 5 names to the membership for election. The Board chose this approach to allow for a meaningful vote without invoking undue competition.

The Board is responsible for setting NAQC’s strategic direction, connecting with its members and ensuring NAQC’s advancement and sustainability.

During the next few years quitlines will experience many changes in the populations served, technology used, and approaches to sustainability. NAQC seeks candidates for the board who are innovative “difference makers” and who can help guide us through the changes ahead. Candidates for the board should have senior level experience, possess leadership skills, be strategic thinkers and display professional and collegial demeanor. Board members do not represent their employer or any specific constituency, but instead work together to create a global vision for NAQC. The board seeks members who are committed to NAQC’s mission and values, contribute diverse viewpoints and cultural experiences, and have expertise in some of the areas listed below:

• Finance: The Board is responsible for financial oversight of the organization, and seeks candidates with expertise in this area. Currently, there are no CPAs or MBAs on the Board.
• Understanding issues related to organizational sustainability for NAQC: Ensuring sustainability of the organization is a key responsibility of the Board. NAQC seeks candidates who offer strategic leadership in fundraising and working with donor and/or grant-making organizations.
• Policy governance of a not-for-profit organization: Experience on a non-profit board is extremely helpful to candidates. NAQC follows a policy governance model developed by John Carver which focuses on business issues and strategic leadership. The Board does not focus on program development; this issue is delegated to staff.
• Operations of a quitline: NAQC seeks candidates with experience in the operations of quitlines.
• Addressing priority populations: Addressing disparities in health is a key objective for NAQC. We seek candidates with an expertise and background in cultural knowledge and experience in reaching priority populations.
• Making quitlines sustainable: Ensuring quitline sustainability is a key objective for NAQC. Recently, government funding for quitlines and tobacco control programs has been decreasing. NAQC seeks candidates who offer strategic leadership on new approaches to sustainability planning for quitlines, including public-private partnerships and integration of quitlines in health systems.

Board members are elected for three-year terms and can be reelected once. The annual time commitment for board members includes four one to one-and-a-half day meetings (plus travel to and preparation for the meeting) and approximately 30 hours of additional time for committee work.

For each person you would like to recommend, please provide the following information to Penny Thomsen, Chair of the Nomination Committee, c/o Board@naquitline.org by February 28:

1. Full name, contact information and brief resume for the person;
2. Your rationale for recommending this person as a candidate; and
3. Confirmation that you have spoken to the person and know that s/he is willing to have her/his name put forward to the Nomination Committee for consideration.

Next Steps: After the February 28 deadline, the Nomination Committee will review all suggested candidates, may follow up with selected individuals for additional information, and will propose a slate of nominees to the full Board of Directors at the next Board meeting. After approval of the slate, the nominees then stand for election by the NAQC membership. A single representative from each organizational member of NAQC is eligible to vote. The election will be conducted online from June 1-14.  The new directors will be announced in August.
 
If you have questions, please contact Penny Thomsen, Chair of the Nomination Committee, at Board@naquitline.org or Linda Bailey, President and CEO, at lbailey@naquitline.org. You can find a list of board members here and detailed information on the election process here.

Thank you for your time and effort to participate in this important activity.

Penny Thomsen
Chair of the Nomination Committee

ACA and Tobacco Cessation

ActionToQuit attended a briefing entitled The Affordable Care Act and Tobacco Cessation: Advocating for Clarity and Accountability.  The speaker, Mila Kofman, presented the results of a report published by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute examining 39 health plans to determine the degree to which they provided the cessation benefits required under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Mila is also the Executive Director of the District of Columbia Health Benefit Exchange and is a nationally recognized expert on private health insurance markets.  She discussed the finding of the report which revealed poor performance among insurers across the board in providing the ACA-required tobacco cessation benefits. In addition, she encouraged tobacco control advocates within states to inform their state insurance commissioner of these compliance issues and ensure tobacco users are receiving the coverage required under the law.

 

These results are especially relevant after yesterday’s announcement of the final rule outlining health insurance issuer standards for a core package of benefits, called essential health benefits, that insurers must cover both under the ACA.

 

For more information on ACA and how it impacts tobacco cessation, check out the American Lung Association’s toolkit which provides materials and analyses exploring ACA provisions that address tobacco cessation and prevention.