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S.T.Q.P.
St. Joseph County Tobacco Quit Project
Healthy Communities Initiative (HCI) of St. Joseph County is the area lead agency selected to oversee the implementation of tobacco prevention and cessation related activities. HCI has received funding from the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Agency (ITPC) www.in.gov/itpc since 2002. Funding to ITPC was made available through the Master Settlement Agreement between 46 state attorneys general and the tobacco industry.
The State of Indiana received $10.9 million for FY2006 from the settlement for tobacco prevention and cessation. The mission of HCI is to improve the health and quality of life of citizens of St. Joseph County. More specific to the tobacco initiative, the mission is to create a culture within the community where the use of tobacco is no longer socially acceptable behavior.
Tobacco related statistics for Indiana residents are alarming:
- Indiana ranks 4th highest in smoking in US
Tobacco kills 10,000 Hoosiers every year
Over 40% of 12th graders currently smoke
57% of infants born in Indiana went home to smoke-filled environments
Smoking cost every man, woman, and child in Indiana $548 per year for health-related costs
15.1% of pregnant women in St. Joseph County smoke cigarettes (Indiana ranks 12th highest in infant mortality).
Program:
As the lead agency, HCI will coordinate a network of volunteers and staff to shift social norms and eliminate the tobacco industry's influence through advocacy and social and policy change. The funding will be used to implement a comprehensive tobacco prevention and cessation program for St. Joseph County.
Residents of the county will notice an increased amount of advertisement and publicity to increase awareness regarding local tobacco activities and deceptive tobacco industry practices. The program has four essential components:
- Building Strong Communities Based Partnerships, including Diverse Partnerships
Protecting Hoosiers from Environment Tobacco Smoke
Reduce Youth Initiation to Tobacco
Promoting and Using Cessation Resources
A majority of the funding received by HCI will be returned to the community to fund prevention and cessation activities. Numerous programs have been awarded funding. Examples of programs include adult cessation programs, youth prevention programs, smoking cessation among pregnant women programs, and local surveys of restaurants, day care centers, and outdoor entertainment areas.
If you have questions regarding community funding, please contact Amy Clifford, Director St. Joe County Tobacco Quit @ 239.8585 ext. 317 or aclifford@hcisjc.org
Funded Community Programs 2005
S.T.Q.P Resources
The Stop Smoke Free Dining Guide and the STQP Resource Guide will allow individuals access to programs and products which can aid them and their loved ones in their battle to quit smoking. Support groups are facilitated by cessation specialists from various providers. School programs on prevention and cessation sponsored by Saint Joseph's Regional Medical Center and Memorial Hospital are underway in several school systems in our community. Additional special events and initiatives are planned to aid in the tracking efforts of citizens to quit smoking.
Indiana Tobacco Sites:
http://www.in.gov/isdh/programs/tobacco/ets.htm
http://www.imhc.org
http://www.in.gov/isdh/index.htm
http://www.in.gov/itpc
http://www.in.gov/atc/index.htm
http://www.whitelies.tv
National Tobacco Sites:
http://www.cancer.org
http://www.americanheart.org
http://www.tobaccofreekids.org
http://www.lungusa.org
http://www.naag.org
http://www.tobaccoweek.com
http://www.americanlegacy.org
HCI will continue to help individuals quit the smoking habit by making our community aware of the latest resources which assist individuals in breaking the smoking habit.
History of Compliance Check
In the true spirit of St. Joseph County community cooperation, HCI, the Health Department, the city, county and state law enforcement agencies, the prosecutors office, volunteer adults, and volunteer underage students join together to enforce state law forbidding the sale of tobacco products to minors.
Each month this group conducts tobacco compliance checks. They visit retailers in St. Joseph County including South Bend, Mishawaka, Walkerton, New Carlisle, North Liberty, Lakeville, Granger, and LaPaz. Retailers who are non-compliant with state law are issued tickets by the law enforcement agencies.
HCI has developed a tracking method for the compliance checks for the public to monitor. It is critical for the public to be aware of retailers in their neighborhoods and towns who are compliant and who are not. When retailers are consistently non-compliant, the community needs to send a message to retailers that this practice will not be accepted. The community will no longer allow retailers to endanger our youth.
It should be noted that these site checks are ongoing by our local group as well as state excise police to ensure continued vigilance of this pressing problem.
If you are a teen or parent interested in volunteering in this project or if you have information regarding the selling of tobacco products to minors, please phone Hallie Rock, Director Youth Services @ 239.8585 x 380.
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