Baltimore City Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Program

In Baltimore City, focus is placed on preventing the initiation of tobacco use among minority youth, providing tobacco cessation programs among adults and youth, reducing exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and eliminating the tobacco-related health disparities which exist in Baltimore City.

Partnership is mandatory for all grant applications. This requirement enhances the City's commitment to target minorities and strengthens the Coalition's endeavors to reduce Baltimore City's lung and cancer rates by 2010. In addition to the RFP, since its inception in 2000, the Coalition sets aside 5% of the grant for the purchase of pharmacotherapies for the uninsured. The following is a listing of highlights of the Program:

Enforcement:

Passage of smoking ban in restaurants/bars in Spring of 2007.
To date, over $310,000 has been collected in revenues as a result of tobacco control violation citations. These funds go directly into drug treatment slots for the City's addicts in that tobacco is a gateway drug.
7,000 letters mailed and delivered to tobacco retailers and food services operators concerning the tobacco control laws, fines, and importance of tobacco control in terms of City's oral and lung cancer rates. Attorney General's tobacco retailers' guide also distributed. Documents provided in English, Korean, Greek, Chinese and Spanish.
Tobacco Enforcement Officers meet with various business and organizations, community groups to enhance educational efforts.
Maintain "hot line" for anonymous callers regarding violators of tobacco control laws.

Cessation:

Provide funding for vendors to provide prevention/cessation program and services to high-risk minority populations. Populations include: African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, women/pregnant women and gay adults. Emphasis on effects of environmental tobacco smoke on non-smoking members of home, household or work place.
Set aside $60,000 for the purchase of pharmacotherapies; provided to federally qualified health centers for uninsured patients.
Provide training to health care providers, dental, medical and nursing students in AHRQ guidelines.
$100,000 set aside for purchase of pharmacotherapies for callers to 800-Quitline as part of collaboration with Legacy Foundation campaign.

Community:

Conduct community awareness campaigns; faith-based programs and second-hand smoke education programs that support tobacco use prevention and cessation.
Targeted populations include: African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, Gay and Lesbian Adults, and women/pregnant women.

School-Based:

Provide funding for vendors to conduct tobacco prevention education programs in licensed public and private preschools, including Head Start.
Target populations: administrators, teachers, parents guardians, preschoolers.
Provide tobacco prevention education to K-12 students in public and private schools.
Provide CDC - approved Towards No Tobacco use (TNT) curriculum training to teachers in public and non-public schools. Thereafter, curriculum used and workbooks distributed to 7th grate students during class work.
Provide funding for annual day-long, anti-tobacco conference for public and private middle school students using culture-appropriate entertainment, incentives.
Vendor(s) work with local colleges to educate students on health risks of Environmental smoke in restaurants, bars, work places, and on-campus avenues that permit smoking.
Three historically Black colleges participate in educational activities.
Distribution of patches to students, upon request, at no charge.
Vendor(s) educates young adults (18-24) not in college through outreach efforts in settings this population frequents.

SmokeFree Baltimore Tour Bus

This mobile health education classroom/museum vehicle is used as a traveling exhibit to visit schools, community events, and health fairs. The Health Department has a long history of using mobile units to provide health education and services to the City's under-served and uninsured.

Tobacco bus serves to underscore the importance of tobacco-related illnesses and their economic impact. It also enhances services to the City's minorities and helps to promote tobacco use prevention.
Numerous interactive media components are offered on the bus - i.e., videos, games, puzzles, board activities.
Over 25,000 individuals each year visit the bus and receive tobacco prevention education.