Mississippi State Leadership Academy partners reconvened on May 8, 2015 to create an action plan to reduce tobacco use in the behavioral health population for the upcoming year and assess their progress since holding their original summit in 2013. Over the past year, partners have been developing an awareness campaign to promote the state quitline, focusing on people with behavioral health issues in the rural areas of the state.  The "Tobacco? I Don't Think So." posters will be distributed to community mental health centers statewide and referrals will be tracked by the Mississippi Tobacco Quitline.

Mississippi is one of nine states that have held a State Leadership Academy for Wellness and Smoking Cessation. All states have made significant progress implementing action plans to reduce the smoking prevalence in the behavioral health population. In Maryland, smoking prevalence among adults with substance use disorders dropped from 71.8% in 2011 to 56.5% in 2014. Oklahoma's smoking prevalence for substance abuse consumers dropped to 47.70% which surpasses their target of 60%. 

Next month, the following states will participate in SAMHSA's 2015 State Policy Academy on Tobacco and Behavioral Health to prepare to convene a local State Leadership Academy for Wellness and Smoking Cessation: Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, Ohio and Wyoming.

For more information on the Policy and Leadership Academies, visit http://smokingcessationleadership.ucsf.edu/leadership-and-policy-academies