Primary Care Tobacco Cessation Network

HPCA was recently awarded a three-year grant from the Hawaii Community Foundation to help build sustainable tobacco cessation services in all of Hawaii’s Community Health Centers by:

• Collaborating with National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service
• Providing technical assistance to CHCs in the production of :
  • Comprehensive cessation needs assessment
  • Action plan
  • Training schedule
  • Outcome evaluation

Goal

To ensure that sustainable evidence-based tobacco cessation programs are implemented in all of Hawaii’s health centers by the end of the three-year project period in 2009. 

Expectation

To serve as a bridge between the CHCs that have established evidence-based cessation programs, and CHCs that have no such program.  

Next Steps:

• To establish a Primary Care Tobacco Cessation Advisory Group (PCTCAG) consisting of a contact person from each CHC.
• To support training and mentorship activities between the CHCs that have existing cessation programs and those that do not. 
• To utilize the findings from the cessation needs assessments to guide the development of strategies that will enhance cessation programs and success rates, and to develop uniform methods for evaluation of cessation services within all of the CHCs. 

For more information contact Kathy Suzuki-Kitagawa