WHAT'S NEW

NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TOBACCO OR HEALTH
Coinciding with the National Conference on Tobacco Or Health, November 19th – 21st, Prescription for Change placed several bus shelter ads throughout downtown San Francisco demanding that pharmacies stop selling tobacco products. The ad raised the ethical issues concerning the sale of tobacco products in health-focused pharmacy establishments. Additionally, PfC’s Project Director Christine Fenlon, along with four other tobacco control advocates, conducted a presentation at the NCTOH entitled “Tobacco Free Pharmacies: Using Ethics, Economics, Education and Law to Achieve an Attainable Public Health Goal.” The NCTOH was yet another success with over 3600 attendees. The bus shelter ads ran from November 11th through November 24th. To view a copy of the ad, please click here.

CPhA OUTLOOK 2003
The California Pharmacists Association has been instrumental in supporting PfC’s Proud to be Tobacco Free Campaign and encouraging CA Pharmacies to stop selling tobacco. PfC’s Project Coordinator Grace Lee will be presenting an award to Carlo Michelotti, CEO of CPhA, to recognize their efforts in promoting a healthier California at the CPhA Outlook 2003 Conference, February 28th – March 1st in Anaheim, CA. If you are a pharmacist or a pharmacy student and plan to attend the event, be sure to stop by our exhibit booth and grab some information and goodies.

MARIN COUNTY RECOGNITION CEREMONY
On July 7th, Prescription for Change and the Marin County Tobacco Education Program organized a recognition ceremony for all the registered tobacco free pharmacies in Marin County. The Marin County Director of Public Health, Dr. Larry Meredith, presented the pharmacies with plaques and thanked them for their outstanding efforts as health leaders in their community.

Dr. Meredith also formerly announced the passing of a resolution by the Marin County Board of Supervisors, recognizing and supporting those tobacco free pharmacies.

Additionally, the United Markets chain of Marin County announced their voluntary removal of tobacco products off their shelves. Expressing deep health concerns for their patrons, they asked for community support in their endeavor. We applaud United Markets for proceeding with such a commendable act and hope other community leaders will follow in the United Markets’ footsteps.

STATEWIDE CONSUMER AWARENESS CAMPAIGN STILL GOING STRONG!
In the Spring of 2002, Prescription for Change launched a statewide Media Campaign designed to raise general consumer awareness about the hypocrisy of pharmacies and chain drugstores selling tobacco along with candy and cough syrup. The Campaign was designed to encourage consumers to take action by sending in Community Action Cards (CAC), postcards addressed to an individual pharmacy or chain drugstore management asking them to stop selling tobacco. Since that time, over 26,000 CACs have been distributed throughout California to county medical societies, voluntary health organizations, county public health departments, regional youth groups, ethnic health networks and healthcare providers for local, individualized mailings to pharmacies and chain drugstores. If you would like to order some CACs for your own mailing to a pharmacy or drugstore in your community, email your request to glee@cmanet.org.

As part of this campaign, Prescription for Change developed 10 to 60-second radio Public Service Announcements that played in the Bay Area and Sacramento County in April and June 2002. These Public Service Announcements aimed to catch consumers’ attention, raise their consciousness about the contradiction of tobacco being sold in health settings and motivate them to ask their pharmacy or drugstore to stop. These radio spots are still available in CD ROM form. If you would like a copy of these spots, please contact us.

A big thanks again to BARTER (Bay Area Region Tobacco Education Resource), who provided some of the funds to place the paid radio advertising for the Public Service Announcements in the Bay Area.

COLLABORATIONS
Prescription for Change has been working with the Yolo County Youth Tobacco Coalition to encourage their pharmacies to register with the Campaign. Using PfC materials, the Yolo County YTC conducted a mini-training in early January to their youth members on methods to ask and encourage pharmacies to become tobacco free. PfC and Yolo Co. YTC are collaborating on follow-up letters and future plans for achieving a tobacco-free Yolo County. If you know of a tobacco free pharmacy, please contact us by email, phone, or fax with the pharmacy name and address and we will be sure to get them on board the Proud to be Tobacco Free Campaign.

Christine continues to work closely with the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) Teens Kick Ash (TKA) project. This youth project empowers teens to take an active role in their communities and promote healthier, tobacco free environments. TKA has been instrumental in distributing CACs throughout California and raising awareness of the contradiction of tobacco in pharmacies and drugstores. To date, ACS and TKA have distributed over 15,000 CACs.

In December 2002, Prescription for Change also teamed up with SPOT, Shasta County’s Public Health youth coalition. SPOT was conducting a postcard campaign, aiming to promote tobacco free pharmacies throughout Shasta County. Youth members disseminated CACs to Shasta County licensed pharmacies, urging them not to sell tobacco.

THANK YOU!
Thank you to Marin County Tobacco Education Program for your continued collaboration with PfC’s Proud to be Tobacco Free Campaign. Thank you to the American Cancer Society-Teens Kick Ash! participants, Shasta County Public Health, Shasta County youth coalition SPOT, Yolo County Youth Tobacco Coalition for taking on an active role in your community. These efforts can make an impact on community awareness, so we thank you for partnering with us in our statewide Consumer Awareness Campaign! Together we can make a difference!

If you would like to have Prescription for Change make a presentation at your next Tobacco Education Coalition, County CPhA or Medical Society meeting, please email Grace to make arrangements.

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