National Smokeless and Spit Tobacco Summit Advocacy Awards

The Smokeless Summit Advisory Board is proud to announce the Award Winners from the 7th National Smokeless and Spit Tobacco Summit. The awards were presented last week at the Summit held in Missoula, Montana. Reposted at http://www.tobaccodeathray.blogspot.com,

 Congratulations!

Amy Hertz Award for Outstanding Advocacy, Education: Katherine Bailey,  Southern Coalfields Tobacco Prevention, McDowell County, W.V. Katherine Bailey is a dedicated health educator from the Southern Coalfields area in WV. The challenges are many: 25% of the residents have no health insurance, 40% are in fair or poor health; 42% of the residents have hypertension; 32% use cigarettes, 12% use smokeless tobacco; median household income is $21,903 compared to the state at $37,057; more than 83% of the children qualify for free and reduced meals; and over 46% of youth do not live with either biological parent.

 

Her accomplishments include motivating her coalition to achieve tobacco free zone policy at the local minor league park, tobacco prevention education night with local minor league teams, countless cessation workshops at all hours of the day for local coal mines, education presentation to both adults and youth about smokeless tobacco, and champion for the Spit It Out W.V. campaign. At one point in the campaign her efforts led to an 800% increase in use of the State Quit Line in her area.

We celebrate her dedication to smokeless tobacco prevention and cessation activism!

Cliff Niles Creative Media Award: James Capp,"Tobacco Stops With Me" Campaign, Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust

James is a schoolteacher, who has recently had to retire due to problems with his health (difficulty eating and speaking, following treatment for oral cancer), but he's been a strong advocate for tobacco control at the community level and at the state level. He spoke out against the "harm reduction" message that was introduced at the start of the Oklahoma state legislature. He has also allowed TSET to produce an entire campaign around his story so that others can learn from his experience to never use tobacco or stop using tobacco. How successful is this campaign? Within the first two weeks of the campaign, use of the state Quit Line increased by 300%. Putting a face on tobacco disease helps.

Click here to view the James Capps Story.  

Through With Chew Policy Award: The BACCHUS Network, Montana Collegiate Tobacco Prevention Initiative, Ann Quinn-Zobeck receiving the Award
The Montana Collegiate Tobacco Prevention Initiative (MCTPI) is a movement to create healthier college campuses in Montana by reducing tobacco use and creating a safe environment through year-round comprehensive education and prevention activities, cessation services, and policy change. The BACCHUS Network supported Montana Tech to become the first tobacco-free campus in Montana (July 2010) and assisted six other higher education institutions to successfully implement tobacco-free policies; thus impacting tobacco use among 18-to-24-year-olds by reducing access to tobacco products, increasing access to cessation services, and increasing tobacco-free environments to reduce exposure to harmful carcinogens. Campus tobacco-free policies prohibit the use, sale, or distribution of tobacco products (including spit, smokeless, chew, snuff) on all properties owned, operated, or leased by the institution implementing it. Tobacco-free campuses eliminate litter associated with tobacco use and create an environment more conducive to quitting for users. For example, the tobacco-free policy at MSU-Billings has been associated with a 6% decrease in everyday smokeless use by college students; 22% of students reported that the policy influenced them to quit or reduce tobacco use. 

Buck Tobacco Sponsorship Award: "The Tobacco Tour," Greg Bilby and Ronnie Trentham,  Cherokee Nation Comprehensive Cancer Control, Tahlequah & Stilwell, OK

Cherokee Nation Comprehensive Cancer Control Program Tobacco Tour has reached 10,000 young people since its inception in November of 2008. Organized by Greg Bilby, CN Public Health Educator, the Tobacco Tour works to eliminate or restrict tobacco promotion in the tribal communities by utilizing the talents of Guinness World Record holder, Brian Jackson, recognized as the "I Believe Guy," Cherokee Story Teller Robert Lewis, and six-time cancer survivor and former smokeless tobacco user, Ronnie Trentham. Trentham is the honorable mayor of Stilwell, Oklahoma, and a dedicated volunteer Hero of Hope for the Cancer Society.

The presentation does not condemn the traditional use of tobacco for sacred American Indian ceremonies; the program educates tribal youth about the danger of commercial tobacco use and how it can lead to cancer and other health related issues. The group is willing to travel to make presentations in other areas. For more information please contact Ronnie Trentham.