Mobilizing an Army of Smoke-free Advocates in Kentucky

  • Hahn, Ellen (PI)

Grants and Contracts Details

Description

Title: Mobilizing an Army of Smoke-free Advocates in Kentucky Keywords: Science-based advocacy; Smoke-free workplace policy; smoke-free legislation, Eastern Kentucky Project Overview & Goals: The overall goal of the proposed project is to educate, energize, and mobilize an army of advocates in Kentucky to build capacity for smoke-free policy. With rapid response funding from ANRF, the Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy (KCSP) aims to: (1) increase access to our annual Smoke-free Conference, featuring Stanton Glantz, PhD; and (2) target rural hospitals and healthcare facilities located in Eastern Kentucky to educate and mobilize them to support comprehensive smoke-free workplace policy. First, we will provide a stimulating, science-based, educational experience for health advocates, policymakers, and community ‘movers and shakers’ and offer access to world-renown expert Dr. Stan Glantz who is scheduled as the plenary speaker for our annual Smoke-free Conference in 2016. We have leveraged funding from University of Kentucky’s (UK) Markey Cancer Center to bring Dr. Glantz to Kentucky as part of a Seminar Series at UK (the day prior to our Spring Conference); however, we need additional resources to ensure that health advocates statewide and in the region can take advantage of this excellent opportunity. This is a unique opportunity for KCSP to bring in such a notable expert speaker to our conference. Second, we will reach to rural hospitals and healthcare facilities in Eastern Kentucky to educate them about the dangers of secondhand smoke and the benefits of comprehensive smoke-free workplace policies. Given that recent polling shows that support for smoke-free legislation is lowest among Eastern Kentuckians, it is essential that we actively target healthcare organizations in this region. Further, the Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) is comprised primarily of rural hospitals, and KHA has been vocal about supporting incremental smoke-free policy change at the state level. We will share research and experience in states that have passed incremental legislation (e.g., Georgia) and ensure understanding of the benefits of comprehensive smoke-free workplace policy and the risks of incremental policy. We will also mobilize them to connect with local efforts to enact smoke-free ordinances. KCSP’s mission is to promote smoke-free environments and provide Kentucky communities with science-based advocacy strategies for advancing smoke-free policies. Our annual Smoke-free Spring Conference is the largest and most inclusive educational initiative to advance smoke-free policy in the state, during which we invite smoke-free advocates, health officials, policymakers, and interested citizens across the state to join us for a day of presentations, networking, recognition, and workshops to disseminate science-based information and provide effective tools to promote smoke-free laws
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date11/1/156/30/16

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