Brookline Public Health awarded $65,000 grant for tobacco control and prevention

On August 6, 2018, The Brookline Department of Public Health and Human Services was awarded a grant of $65,000 for four years from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) to prevent nicotine use and improve public health.  Brookline is one of 16 municipal health departments who received awards to work in partnership with neighboring cities and towns to reduce the influence of the tobacco and vaping industries on communities. 

The funding will strengthen capacity in Brookline and also serve Arlington, Belmont, Norwood, Randolph, Stoughton, and Watertown.  This award continues and expands work that Brookline has done previously through the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program. 

According to the MDPH press release, funds will strengthen capacity to enact and enforce policies, systems, and environmental changes that reduce tobacco use, protect the public from secondhand smoke and youth from exposure to tobacco and vaping industry tactics.   “For more than 20 years, DPH’s efforts have resulted in significant progress in preventing tobacco use and helping smokers quit for good,” said Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel M.D, MPH.  “Despite this progress, these awards come at a time when vaping rates among youth are nine times higher than adults.”

Local communities throughout the state will use this funding to build and strengthen their efforts to educate the public about the health effects of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, and direct individuals to cessation resources.

The funding, a combination of state and federal dollars, will help local communities establish and maintain comprehensive tobacco control programs based on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Best Practices designed to:

• Protect youth from exposure to tobacco and vaping industry tactics and prevent youth initiation of tobacco/nicotine use;

• Protect residents from secondhand smoke;

• Ensure all Massachusetts users of tobacco/nicotine have access to cessation resources;

• Identify tobacco-related disparities and target efforts toward those disproportionately affected.

“I’m delighted that Brookline will continue to be at the forefront in reducing the harmful effects of tobacco on our youth,” said Brookline Health Commissioner Swannie Jett, DrPH, MSc. “Preventing youth access to these products is a critical first step to reducing exposure.”

Brookline Public Health and Human Services mission is to preserve, protect & promote the physical, mental, and environmental health of the Brookline Community.  We collaborate with partners to reduce health inequities and respond to emerging public health challenges. For additional information, contact Lynne Karsten, Director of Community Health, Brookline Department of Public Health, 617-730-2336; lkarsten@brooklinema.gov. Also, please join our Twitter discussion: @BrooklineHealth, Facebook: Brookline Department of Public Health, or Instagram: Brooklinehealth.