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Tobacco Stops With Me, Oklahoma’s
initiative to educate the public on the dangers of secondhand smoke and
preventing tobacco use, is commemorating 10 years of improving health on
October 10th with a landmark announcement. Together with partners
from across the state, Tobacco Stops With Me will announce a new effort that
will save thousands of lives and millions of dollars in our state.
Join Tobacco Stops With Me
at 10 a.m. on October 10 at the Oklahoma History Center or watch the announcement live on
Facebook to learn how you and your organization can support saving lives
and improving Oklahoma’s health landscape by cutting the Oklahoma adult smoking
rate in half over the next decade.
Following the announcement,
Tobacco Stops With Me will host national tobacco control policy experts for discussions on how similar efforts to
modernize and update tobacco laws and programs have led to healthier states –
and how Oklahoma can avoid falling behind through policy changes with public
and organizational support.
To learn more about the event, visit Tobacco Stops With Me on Facebook. To
learn more about Tobacco Stops With Me, visit StopsWithMe.com.
 Two school districts received TSET Healthy Incentive Program grants
in September for working to improve the health of students, teachers and staff.
The TSET Board of Directors approved $43,000 in grants for
Maryetta Public Schools in Adair County and Sulphur Public Schools in Murray
County as part of the TSET Healthy Incentive Program for Schools.
Maryetta Public Schools received an $18,000 grant and will
use the funds for playground improvements and will add fitness stations to
their existing walking trail. Sulphur Public Schools received $25,000 and plans
to use grant funds to make improvements to its walking track. Both projects
will increase opportunities for physical activity for students and community
members as each district allows the public to use the trail and track outside
of the school day through a shared use agreement.
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City leaders from Coalgate, Stroud and Muskogee were
recognized at the Oklahoma Municipal League’s annual conference in September,
for efforts to improve health and quality of life with a TSET
Healthy Communities Incentive Program grant.
The City of Coalgate received a $20,000 incentive grant and
plans to use grant funds for sidewalk improvements and wayfinding signs to help
encourage walking and biking throughout the city.
The City of Muskogee received a $70,000 incentive grant and
plans to use grant dollars for sidewalk connection design and the construction
of two sidewalk projects to help residents increase physical activity. This was not the first incentive grant for the City of
Muskogee. The city was awarded a $50,000 grant at the bronze and silver levels
in 2015.
The City of Stroud received a $20,000 incentive grant and
has used the grant dollars for a farmers market pavilion. The pavilion allows
farmers to sell their produce and has become a center point for community
events.
TSET offers grants to eligible communities that
have met criteria established for the program such as tobacco-free, vapefree
policies, availability of fresh fruits and vegetables, an active employee
wellness committee, and increasing opportunities for residents to become more
physically active.
Pictured from left to right: Mike
Fina, OML Executive Director; Mike Elkins, Coalgate Mayor; John Woods, TSET
Executive Director
Ponca City Public Schools received a $20,000 incentive grant through
the TSET
Healthy Incentive Program for schools.
Ponca City Public Schools put a variety of policies and strategies
in place to promote health and wellness for students and staff. The school
district worked with local contractor, Evans & Associates, to construct a
walking track at Liberty Elementary School. The track is available for use by
the students during the school day and can be utilized by the community outside
of the school day for physical activity.
“These grants recognize the efforts of schools and school
districts that are actively promoting healthy lifestyles. Studies show that
active, healthy kids perform better in school,” said TSET Executive Director
John Woods. “Habits formed early last a lifetime and we want to recognize
schools that are making the healthy choice the easy choice for students, staff
and the community.”
Pictured from left to right: Sharon Howard, Program
Manager, TSET Healthy Schools Incentive Program; John Woods, TSET Executive Director; Shelley Arrott, Ponca City Public Schools Superintendent; Jennifer
Martinez, Liberty Elementary Principal; Bret Smith, Ponca City Public Schools
Director of Operations; Ken Luttrell, State Representative-elect; Jennifer Creech, Program Coordinator, TSET Healthy Living Program serving Kay county
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 The Stephenson Cancer Center
has recruited Ce Shang, Ph.D., a health economist with extensive experience in
tobacco control research. According to Jennifer Vidrine, Ph.D., Director of the
Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center at the Stephenson Cancer Center, “Her research
in tobacco regulatory science will play an important part of our mission to
help end tobacco-related mortality in Oklahoma.”
Shang earned a Ph.D. in Economics from City University of
New York in 2011 and is joining the cancer center from the University of
Illinois at Chicago where she served as a Senior Research Scientist in the
Institute for Health Research and Policy. Her research focuses on evaluating
the effectiveness of tobacco control policies, including taxation and
smoke-free air laws. Shang’s recruitment
is supported by funding from TSET.
The mission of the Oklahoma Tobacco Research
Center is to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, tobacco-related mortality
in Oklahoma through research that informs interventions and policies with a
particular emphasis on addressing tobacco-related health disparities.
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