SelfMade Health Network Reaffirms Commitment to Local Organizations Focused on Tobacco Cessation Support

HAMPTON, VA., Sept. 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The total economic cost attributed to smoking alone has reached staggering rates. In fact, smoking costs have soared past $300 billion dollars a year, including approximately $170 billion dollars in direct medical care for adults.(1) Although, the overall adult smoking rate has declined to 16.8%, cigarette smoking prevalence is higher among uninsured adults (27.9%) and Medicaid enrollees (29.1%) compared to adults with private insurance (12.9%) and Medicare enrollees (12.5%).(2)

In an effort to expand tobacco cessation support to uninsured and underinsured populations, SelfMade Health Network launched the SelfMade Health Network National Tobacco Cessation Marketplace Project in 2015. The Project involved piloting and implementing the American Lung Association Assistors Project Toolkit, paired with complementary Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and SelfMade Health Network resources in adversely affected regions, counties, and states. The Project also explored the experiences of uninsured consumers during the Marketplace enrollment process as they were linked to tobacco cessation resources and evidenced-based cessation counseling.

SelfMade Health Network identified disproportionate cigarette smoking rates in regions throughout the United States and initiated ten certified Marketplace enrollment partnerships in those areas. During Open Enrollment, the ten organizations incorporated brief cessation counseling for each person assisted during the process. Additionally, the awardees mobilized a myriad of nontraditional partners and strategies to advance the counseling effort. For example, some of the partnerships included working closely with homeless shelters, methadone clinics, food banks, and various faith-based organizations.

"As we mark the one year anniversary of this national project, we want to express our sincere appreciation for the vision, commitment and hard work exemplified by each of the ten selected organizations. Their innovative approaches have transformed the project into an evolving learning experience. We look forward to providing continued support to these stellar organizations. Our hope is that this incredible work serves as a model template for other like-minded organizations and communities working to improve tobacco cessation rates," says Dwana "Dee" Calhoun, M.S., SelfMade Health Network Director.

The National SelfMade Health Network Tobacco Cessation Marketplace Project awardees are:
1) Alcohol / Drug Council of North Carolina (North Carolina)
2) American Lung Association (West Virginia)
3) ACCESS Community Health & Research Center (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services) (Michigan)
4) Crozer-Keystone Health System (Pennsylvania)
5) Johnson County Public Health (Iowa)
6) Harrisburg Area YMCA - Northern Dauphin County Branch (Pennsylvania)
7) Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Inc. (Pennsylvania)
8) Macoupin County Public Health Department in partnership with Maple Street Medical Clinic (Illinois)
9) Mississippi Primary Health Care Association, Inc. (Mississippi)
10) Oak Hill Baptist Church Ministries, Inc. Navigator Office (Mississippi)

SelfMade Health Network is a member of the CDC's Consortium of National Networks to Impact Populations Experiencing Tobacco-Related and Cancer Health Disparities, focusing on populations with low socioeconomic status characteristics, including vulnerable, underserved and low-resourced populations, residing in rural, urban and frontier regions.

References:
1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Smoking & Tobacco Use-Fast Facts, www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/
2 Ahmed Jamal, MBBS; David M. Homa, PhD; Erin O'Connor, MS, et al. Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults — United States, 2005–2014. MMWR 2015;64:44[pgs.1233-1240].

SelfMade Health Network is a national network of dedicated organizations, businesses, service agencies, academic institutions and communities seeking to conquer tobacco-related health disparities and expand the promotion of cancer prevention, screening, treatment and survivorship in vulnerable populations. It is our mission to educate, empower and mobilize regions, networks, communities and systems leading to a healthier world, workforce and generation free of preventable lung, colorectal and breast cancers. For more information, please visit www.selfmadehealth.org or follow us Twitter at @SelfMadeHealth. Individuals and organizations interested in joining SelfMade Health Network or subscribing to our communications may email us at info@selfmadehealth.org.