Community Wellness & Prevention
Quarterly Update

Because we have independent funding streams, state chronic disease programs have traditionally operated with limited collaboration–what we often call silos. We know that all of these programs address similar risk factors. Since the science of chronic disease prevention and control is so integrated, it follows that programs designed to address these issues should also work together. In some states, including Washington, that linking of risk factor programs has already begun through combining some business practices, program planning, intervention strategies, surveillance, and data collection across programs. We call this emerging trend chronic disease program integration.

In December, the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program, Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and Healthy Communities submitted a combined competitive grant application to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion of the U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. The Healthy Communities funds are new and will develop a coordinated training and technical assistance system using environmental and policy approaches.

I am excited about the work plan the Office submitted and the opportunities the funds will bring to our chronic disease programs at the Washington State Department of Health. The grant work is set to begin in April, 2009. We will tell you more about this exciting work in our next newsletter
 

The Asthma Program produced a toolkit for health departments, schools, and communities to help them educate people about the health dangers caused by idling cars and trucks, especially near schools.

Weatherproof metal signs are available, along with a CD that includes a guide for creating a school program, and an assortment of letters and fliers for schools to customize.

Contact Reva Wittenberg at 360-236-3851 to order.

In late April 2009 the Department of Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program will debut their next tobacco cessation media campaign, entitled Dear Me. This campaign will specifically address “the working poor” – low-income workers who smoke. The tobacco-use rates for this group are significantly higher than for higher income adults.

The idea of the campaign is that smokers will write letters to themselves revealing why they should stop smoking. These actual letters and their authors will appear in TV ads, and their voices will be heard in radio ads.

The Dear Me concept was born from a compelling, simple idea heard during focus groups: smokers quit for their own reasons, when they’re ready, and nothing we say or do is going to help. That’s not the most exciting news to hear when embarking upon a campaign, but then Dear Me took form. The main line of the campaign is “No one can make me quit but me.”

This line resonates with our audience because it touches upon control and privacy, both key insights found during our research. Control is a powerful motivator for smoking. “No one can make me quit but me” is empowering and provides a sense of control, inspiring them to take the next step. A letter written to oneself is very personal and private, with no outsiders involved. Smokers feel like this is their own line, their own mantra that they tell themselves and others.

The Dear Me concept truly moves people. Seeing someone share a personal story similar to their own is both cathartic and touching. Our audience composes their own letters in their minds the moment they see our campaign, and this takes them one step closer to quitting. The ads will encourage viewers and listeners to visit www.quitline.com for additional information .

Contact Scott Schoengarth at 360-236-3634 for more information.

The 2008 Update: The Burden of Asthma in Washington State is now available. It contains county-by-county information pulled from asthma-specific surveys, hospitalization, and emergency departments.

The “Ask Me” campaign recruits businesses and organizations in the community to voluntarily offer information about free breast cancer screening. No special volunteer training is needed and information is placed at locations where people already gather.

Free mammograms, Pap tests, and diagnostic services for uninsured and underinsured women, ages 40-64, are available through the Washington Breast and Cervical Health Program. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among Washington women, and mammograms are the best way to detect breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable stage.

For more information or to order materials, contact Nancy Welton at or 360-236-3598.

1-800-QUIT-NOW signage will be all over the park, will be the main sponsor of one of the three stages, and will be prominently featured on tickets, in articles and in on-line banners. For details, contact the program’s media coordinator Scott Schoengarth at 360-236-3634.

This year in the United States, colorectal cancer will kill as many people as breast cancer and AIDS combined. The good news is that colorectal cancer is 90-percent preventable when detected early through regular screening. For average risk adults, screening is recommended to begin at age 50. As of July 2008, all health insurance plans in Washington state were required to cover screening tests. Free screening services for the uninsured or underinsured are now available statewide as well. For additional information regarding free screening services, please call toll-free: 888-438-2247.

Encourage your friends and family to get screened! For more information about the program, contact Megan Celedonia, 360-236-3785.

The Department of Health is recruiting primary care medical practices to take part in a two-year quality improvement process to help practices become “medical homes,” where all health care for a patient is coordinated through primary care. More information is available on the  Washington State Collaborative Web site.

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Fax Referral Incentive Promotion

Participating agencies will receive a toolkit containing fax referral forms, gift cards and more materials designed to facilitate a quick tobacco intervention:

Fax Referral Forms and Incentives–Fax referral forms with a $10 incentive (gift card) attached for pregnant and postpartum women willing to receive a call from the Quit Line.

Video – An eight minute video that provides an overview of the quit line’s services for pregnant women and a step-by-step explanation of what happens when your client calls the quit line.

Counter Cards – Counter cards with attached business cards for clients to take away. These counter cards can be displayed in waiting rooms, exam rooms, at the front desk.

Clipboards – Clipboards for staff that include a quick reference to the Ask, Advise, and Refer model of tobacco intervention.

Informational Card – Cards for staff that include information about the Quit Line’s services for pregnant women and how the fax referral works.

Pens – A giveaway for all pregnant and postpartum women who smoke.

Visit www.quitline.com, or contact Juliet Thompson at 360-236-3722 for more information

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Clearing the Air - Tobacco Prevention and Control Program newsletter

Washington Partners in Action - Nutrition, Physical Activity & Obesity Program newsletter

Washington State WIC Nutrition Program - WIC clinic staff information

Washington FOCUS - newsletter - Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse - Washington State Department of Social and Health Services