Virginia Department of Health, Office of Communications

📰 VDH Tobacco Control Program Newsletter - July 2023

Virginia Department of Health, Office of Communications sent this bulletin at 07/10/2023 08:00 AM EDT

July 2023

Tobacco Control Program Newsletter

A Message from the Team

Summer picture of girl in canoe with Quit Now Virginia information.

😎 Summer is in full swing! What exciting plans do you have? If you're going on a road trip or hitting the beach, listen to Another View radio show from June 29th. Rita Miller, the TCP Tobacco Use and Dependence Treatment Coordinator, was a featured guest! Listen to Rita and cardiologist Dr. Newby talk about the importance of quitting tobacco and how hard it is to quit. Callers also share their success stories of quitting. Our team is always collaborating to share cessation resources. One of the organizations that we partner with recently had a change in leadership.

Andrew V. “Andy” Sorrell is the new Deputy Director of the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY). Prior to joining VFHY, Andy served as the Deputy Director of the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission and as the Interim Executive Director of the Tobacco Commission from 2022 to 2023. Andy has long been passionate about rural Virginia and that passion has led him to a career spanning 20 years in Virginia local and state government working to make rural Virginia the best place to live, work, and play. Andy and his family live in Palmyra, Fluvanna County where they cultivate a large vegetable garden, raise chickens, goats, and enjoy the country life.

Meet the Virginia Tobacco Control Program Team

Tiffany Eustice, Northwest Regional Coordinator

👋 Hi, My name is Tiffany Eustice, and I serve as the Regional Coordinator of the Northwest Region. I’ve been a part of the TCP team for a little over a year. Before this, I was a health coach for about 14 years. I’m passionate about working in public health and helping our communities be healthier and have access to tobacco cessation resources.

I love to spend time with my children, either playing outside with them or playing with LEGO toys. I enjoy going to church on Sunday with my family and being active by going to the YMCA or for a run.

Tobacco Treatment Specialists in Local Communities

One year ago, the FDA proposed rules to prohibit menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. The Tobacco Control Program (TCP) and Quit Now Virginia is preparing for the upcoming ban by offering scholarships for individuals to take the Tobacco Treatment Specialist training, coordinated by Duke-UNC Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program.

Tobacco treatment specialists have a crucial role to play in supporting individuals during the FDA menthol ban. As the ban aims to eliminate the sale of menthol cigarettes, specialists can provide critical guidance and assistance to individuals who may be motivated to quit and for those who may face challenges during this transition. They can offer evidence-based cessation strategies, behavioral counseling, and pharmacotherapy options to help individuals quit menthol cigarettes and overcome any nicotine withdrawal symptoms or cravings. By working closely with individuals affected by the ban, tobacco treatment specialists can contribute to the success of this important public health initiative and promote a tobacco-free lifestyle.

Congratulations to the thirty-eight (38) scholarship recipients! We still have a couple more scholarships available. It is great to have you partner with TCP/QNV as you counsel and support tobacco and nicotine users in your local communities.

Data Highlight

Overall Nicotine Use Rates in Virginia and each health region.

Monthly average nicotine strength of e-cigarettes overall and by product type, January 2017 – March 2022.

During June’s Tobacco Free Tuesday (TFT) Webinar, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Tobacco Control Program unveiled a new variable, “nicotine use” which combines counts of “current smoker,” “current e-cigarette user,” “current smokeless user,” and “other tobacco products user” variables to create a comprehensive data element which we believe will serve as a better indicator of tobacco and nicotine’s true burden in our communities. If you want to hear more about the newly developed nicotine use variable in addition to a multitude of other tobacco statistics, please watch the recorded June TFT presentation where Kyle Girone from VDH analyzes the recent Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and Adult Tobacco Survey data while Michael Parsons with the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth, shares some youth tobacco statistics from the Virginia Youth Survey!

Tobacco Control in the News

New School Resource Available - CDC released a new resource, Schools Supporting Students to Quit Tobacco Use as an Alternative to Suspension: Lessons from the Field, which provides resources and lessons from the field showcasing school districts across the country that are implementing tobacco prevention programs as an alternative to out-of-school suspension for students who violate tobacco-free policies.
Grant Opportunity for Colleges/Universities! The Truth Initiative Tobacco/Vape-Free College Program is offering grants of up to $20,000 to colleges and universities to support the adoption and implementation of a 100% tobacco/vape-free policy.
For more information, including the grant guidelines, link to the online application, and informational webinar registration, please visit: https://truthinitiative.org/tobacco-vape-free-college-program. Please direct questions to Vera Kuma at vkuma@truthinitiative.org. The deadline to apply is October 12, 2023, at 5:00 PM ET.
Draft 2023 Framework to Support and Accelerate Smoking Cessation - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) is released a draft framework to support and accelerate smoking cessation, building on supports that are already in place for people who want to quit. The public comment period ends on July 30 at 11:59 PM EST.
Vaping can negatively affect the natural bacterial balance in the mouth - A researcher from the University of Central Floria College of Medicine is studying how vaping creates chemical reactions in the mouth that causes cavities, gum disease, and cellular changes that can lead to cancer.