Thirty Washington State leaders started the New Year with a resolution—and a plan: Reduce tobacco use in the state by at least 3% a year, from 17% in 2006 to less than 15% by 2010. Leaders aspired to even greater results: 12% by 2012 .
The Washington Health Foundation on January 8 convened the nation's first workplace-focused summit on tobacco cessation, called Washington Quits! Leaders from management and labor, large, mid-sized and small businesses, health policy, public health, non-profits, and other sectors of the health system concurred that they can make a dent in the single greatest cause of premature death and disability: Smoking. The group will take action through a handful of Washington Quits! committees, formed through a process called the Performance Partnership Model. The action begins:
- Within less than a month of the summit, the Washington Quits! Policy Committee coordinated testimony in favor of Senate Bill 6421, which would provide effective stop-smoking treatment to Medicaid Recipients.
- The Cessation Coverage Committee plans to compile a county-by-county directory of cessation services in Washington , identify service gaps, and consider best practices for helping those who chew or smoke tobacco to quit.
- The Marketing and Awareness Committee is educating employers, workers, and health care providers through a variety of means about effective ways to help tobacco users quit.
- The Partnership Committee is forging ways to expand Washington Quits! efforts among labor unions, businesses, insurance agents, and health care providers.
- The Data Committee monitors and reports progress toward the goal.
Others interested in reducing tobacco use in Washington are welcome to join Washington Quits! To learn more about the effort or join a committee, please contact the Tobacco Program Coordinator, Dawn Robbins , dawnr@whf.org or call 503-774-4146.
In a Performance Partnership, a broad range of stakeholders agrees upon an over-arching, measurable goal, achieved by harnessing collective energy. Partners analyze the gaps and barriers to achieving the goal, own the problem, and share resources to develop and execute a variety of cutting-edge strategies.
Washington currently ranks 5 th nationally in the healthiest state measure of Smoking Rates. In recent years, our state has consistently improved in this area—one reason we recently jumped to #12 in state health rankings. However, there is much more to be done.
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