Priority Initiatives

• Recruit new NLTCN members, increase participation of members in decision-making and ownership, build membership of researchers and non-tobacco focused constituents.

• Update communications system and website, maintain a vibrant calendar of events, increase press coverage of tobacco control initiatives and help raise awareness of health issues affecting Latino communities.

• Participate in activities of National Networks for Tobacco Control and Prevention and develop partnerships and opportunities for collaboration with CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) and other partners in support of evidence-based tobacco control interventions and programs.

• Develop capacity building and tailored training, including technical assistance for different audiences nationwide.

• Gather existing examples of promising and best practices in tobacco control for Latinos and share this information with collaborators such as state health departments,  OSH and other  national tobacco control partners.

• Manage a current and active list of training consultants who have expertise in various areas of tobacco control. Through our newsletters, NLTCN regularly highlights new leaders making a difference in the field.

• Support the operational and administrative functions of NLTCN to maintain and strengthen the Network.

• Promote the use of culturally competent materials, cessation services and quitlines.

• Promote evidence-based policies that will reduce exposure to secondhand smoke at the local, state and federal levels, including “comprehensive” clean indoor air policies. In 2012, NLTCN provided technical assistance and other forms of support on these and related issues to organizations in Puerto Rico and in the following states: Indiana, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, California, and Virginia.

• Support efforts to increase tobacco taxes in order to reduce youth initiation and promote quitting by increasing prices.

• Participate in the identification of gaps in research methodologies and needed resources at the state and local levels.

• Publish and distribute fact sheets, reports and other materials on tobacco consumption and its impact on Latino communities through the NLTCN website.

• Promote private policies in support of smoke-free housing, cars, parks, casinos, bowling alleys and other establishments typically not protected by clean indoor air ordinances.

• Increase capacity at the local level to address tobacco issues through leadership, education and training.

• Provide information as requested about regulatory activities of the Center for Tobacco Products at the FDA that involve mentholated products, little cigars and cigarillos, and other new products impacting Latino communities.