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 North Carolina Leadership Academy for Wellness
On August 17th and 18th forty-two leaders in public health, behavioral health, and tobacco control met on Tobacco Road in Morrisville, North Carolina for the SAMHSA Virtual Leadership Academy for Wellness and Smoking Cessation. Participants represented federal, state, and local agencies, including mental health, addictions, consumer, community services, non-profit, academic, the state quit line, and chronic disease prevention organizations.
This was the fifth state summit and the first in traditional tobacco country. Many of the summit partners and their families had worked in the tobacco fields and these personal experiences fueled the collective professional interest in helping behavioral health become tobacco-free.
"16 by 16" was the slogan adopted by the partners to describe the general population target; a reduction to 16% in adult smoking prevalence by 2016, down from 19.8% in 2010. The other targets for 2016 are 39% prevalence among mental health clients, down from 49% in 2010 and 50% prevalence among substance abuse clients, down from 63% in 2010.
The strategy groups included: facilities, training providers, community and consumer engagement, performance outcomes, quitline, and managerial focus.
Flo Stein addresses the summit partners, including Debra Dihoff, Steve Jordan, Maria Fernandez and John Harris
In addition to Flo Stein, Chief of Community Policy Management (pictured above), Steve Jordan, Director, Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services, and J. Luckey Welsh, Director, Division of State Operated Healthcare Facilities welcomed participants to the summit. Mr. Jordan stated, "It is a golden opportunity for us, North Carolina, to lead with an action plan."
Mr. Welsh also offered this call to action, "I believe North Carolina can be a leader. If we move below the national average, we can show the nation that we can all do better."
For more information: http://smokingcessationleadership.ucsf.edu/LeadershipActivities-NC.htm.
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