SAMHSA grantees eligible for funds to help consumers quit smoking

Taken from CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News January 22, 2009

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS! Grantees of the Substance

Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration have a

unique opportunity to become Pioneers in the agency’s first

initiative to help the people it serves quit smoking and

improve health.

The initiative, called the Tobacco-Free Campaign: 100

Pioneers Smoking Cessation Leadership Academy, was

launched Dec. 31 when a letter from SAMHSA’s acting

director, Dr. Eric Broderick, went out to grantees inviting

them to apply < http://smokingcessationleadership.ucsf.edu/samhsa-sclc-100pioneers-2008.pdf>.

 Application deadline is February 3.

The campaign goals are to

• Provide training and technical assistance,

• Raise awareness and increase understanding of effective smoking cessation

strategies,

• Support the implementation or enhancement of existing evidence-based

tobacco cessation services,

• Implement smoke-free environments,

• Insure that consumers have access to smoking cessation services and

services to promote health and wellness,

• Establish partnerships between behavioral health and tobacco control

organizations to disseminate tobacco cessation resources

All 2007-2008 grantees are eligible to apply for a $1,000 honorarium if they agree to

incorporate some basic smoking cessation actions into their current grant scope.

Examples include referring smokers to state quitlines through the national portal

number, 1-800 QUIT NOW, training staff to intervene with smokers through a brief

free curriculum called Rx for Wellness, and working to make facilities smoke free.

The 100 Pioneers Campaign is a partnership between SAMHSA and the Smoking

Cessation Leadership Center, which helped provide SAMHSA staff with cessation

training in July 2008. To assist grantees in promoting smoking cessation, SCLC is

providing free technical assistance and resources. A new toll-free number,

1-877-509-3786, will facilitate the process.

“Address the need for smoking cessation among people with mental illnesses and

substance use disorders must become a top priority for our fields,” Dr. Broderick said.

He cited the now-familiar statistic that people with serious mental illness die 25 years

earlier than the general population, and said reducing smoking prevalence would be a

huge step toward narrowing the gap.

If you are a SAMHSA grantee, please apply to join this exciting new initiative by visiting

http://smokingcessationleadership.ucsf.edu/pioneers.html

Please spread the message to anyone who is eligible. It’s time to take on this

important health challenge and make smoke-free living part of recovery!

Want information on Federal mental health grants, publications, meetings, policies, programs and other useful material for mental health consumers? Join the CMHS Consumer Affairs Listserv at: http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/listserv/