TOBACCO PROGRAM (CDC)
The Tobacco supplement is part of CDC’s“Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country” (GHWIC) funding. Twelve tribes work (Component 1) on a variety of health interventions and strategies alongside 11 tribal organizations and 12 tribal epidemiology centers (Component 2).
GHWIC supports a coordinated, holistic approach to healthy living and chronic disease prevention and reinforces the work already under way in Indian Country to make healthy choices and lifeways easier for American Indians and Alaska Natives. The tobacco supplement focuses efforts on tobacco cessation and policy change in Indian Country
The purpose of this funding is to provide tribes in the Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas areas with the leadership, stewardship, TA, training, and resources necessary to assist in chronic disease prevention. GHWIC’s long-term goals are to reduce rates of death and disability from tobacco use, reduce the prevalence of obesity, and reduce rates of death and disability from diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
The intended outcomes of this programs are to strengthen healthy lifeways and promote practices that keep American Indians and Alaska Natives well. The program is designed to expand by working with more tribes directly and extending its reach and impact through tribal organizations, should more funding become available. Because solutions to public health problems already exist in Indian Country, GHWIC grantees participate with CDC and other partners in “communities of practice” that promote peer-to-peer learning and problem solving. Grantees regularly share their program activities, successes, and challenges. These communities of practice have strengthened collaborations among grantees and CDC.
By building the infrastructure to support culturally appropriate, effective public health approaches and better address the long-standing challenges to healthy behaviors and lifeways, American Indians and Alaska Natives can make sustainable gains in health and quality of life.
- A decrease in funding for the tobacco supplement occurred in 2016 due to CDC budget constraints. Despite this, partnerships with outside entities ensured continued outreach and greater media expansion to better serve the 43 tribes and tribal organizations in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. The partnerships helped the tobacco program boost awareness of the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline (OkHelpline.com) in several counties with larger native American populations through newspaper and television advertisements.
- A working relationship with the Oklahoma Hospital Association (OHA) was established to help increase outreach to tribal clinics. The OHA has had some success implementing the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline E-Referral system into tribal hospitals. Together, the OHA and SPTHBhope to leverage their combined experience and connections into expanding into more tribal clinics to increase the Oklahoma TobaccoQuitline referrals. It isrelationships like this that will enable the tobacco program to achieve the goals it has set to help tribes in reduction of tobacco use in Indian country.
- The tobacco program received notification from CDC that the funding level for tobacco supplement would be restored in 2017. With the funding level restored, the tobacco program can continue efforts to increase and develop culturally relevant media campaigns, increase support for tribal tobacco policy assessments and evidenced-based tobacco prevention education. As it is with other prevention programs, every dollar spent on tobacco prevention translates to exponential amount saved on healthcare costs due to tobacco related illnesses.
The direct population to be affected by program funding are the tribal health professionals, providers, and program specialists receiving the services. This includes tribes, tribal communities, tribal organizations, and urban centers seeking assistance from the OCAITHB in carrying out prevention activities associated with this program. Through outreach, increased knowledge, and capacity the program will afford partners and awardees with prevention efforts that have the potential to impact the entire AI/AN population in the states covered by IHS Oklahoma City Area. The 43 federally recognized tribes in the Oklahoma City Area include: Absentee Shawnee, AlabamaQuassarte, Apache, Caddo, Cherokee, Cheyenne-Arapaho, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Citizen Potawatomi, Comanche, Delaware, Delaware Nation, Eastern Shawnee, Fort Sill Apache, Iowa, Kaw, Kialegee, Kickapoo, Kiowa, Miami, Modoc, Muscogee (Creek), Osage, Otoe-Missouria, Ottawa, Pawnee, Peoria, Ponca, Quapaw, Sac and Fox, Seminole, Seneca-Cayuga, Shawnee, Thlopthlocco, Tonkawa, United Keetoowah, Wichita & Affiliated tribes, and Wyandotte, Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas, Prairie Band Potawatomi and Sac & Fox Nation of Missouri, and Kickapoo Tribe of Texas.
In 2010,the US Census Bureau reported Oklahoma had 482,760 AI/AN population, Kansas had 59,130 AI/AN population, and Texas had 315,264 AI/AN population.
- Partnership with TSET helped the tobacco program boost awareness of the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline (OkHelpline.com) in several counties with larger native American populations through newspaper and television advertisements.
- Partnership with many tribal nations and tribal-serving organizations help expand outreach to those areas previously underserved.
TheGood Health and Wellness grant was first awarded in 2015 and is a five-year project.
Southern Plains Tribal Health Board
Phone: (405) 652-9200
Fax: (405) 840-7052
Email: info@spthb.org
