SPECIAL EDITION
The Regional PA End of Year Celebration Edition
What's on the Horizon for the Coalitions
The American Lung Association team is developing plans for future meeting content, events and webinars. This includes:
  • Gathering feedback over the summer from members regarding improvements. Reach out to Lung Association staff over the summer if you have any ideas for workgroup initiatives. 
  • Plans to gather in-person again will be moving forward this fall. We will be following CDC guidelines and will provide updates as meeting dates gets closer. 
  • Fall meeting will focus on reintroducing regional workgroups and determining new year direction and goals.
  • The American Lung Association will be calling for proposals for funding from community partners to deliver comprehensive tobacco cessation and prevention resources to Northcentral communities in Clinton, Lycoming, Snyder and Union counties. For more details, contact Mike Glantz at Michael.Glantz@lung.org.
Contact Chelsey Hildebrand at Chelsey.Hildebrand@lung.org for any further regional coalition questions or ideas. Continue on to read each region's recaps and updates within this newsletter.
Yearly Review: The Regional PA Tobacco-Free Coalitions Website
The Regional PA Tobacco-Free Coalition (RPTFC) website went through several noticeable changes this past fiscal year. Several new resources were added. The resource categories: Advocacy, Cessation, Prevention and Secondhand Smoke were separated into their own pages to quickly locate materials. And a new project, still in the works, is translating all of the Diverse Population Resources into Spanish. These resources will be posted onto the website once complete.

The next project for the website includes featuring a Provider Login button, located at the top of the page. The purpose of this feature is to allow only providers access to private forms, templates and flyers online. The Provider Login password will be the same for all providers. Visit the rptfc.org webpages often and discover what you can find that's new! 
Become a COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassador In Your Community!
The American Lung Association was awarded a COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach Grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community & Economic Development and is committed to COVID-19 vaccine equity. By partnering with community organizations and training local leaders to become COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassadors, the Lung Association hopes to increase vaccine confidence in rural or geographically isolated areas that have experienced vaccine inequities.

Ambassadors will share fact-based information to help educate their neighbors on the importance of being up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines. If you or someone in your organization is interested in this opportunity to work with your community, contact David.Huber@Lung.org for an application and for more information. 
Coalition Workgroups Highlights
Southcentral Workgroup Social Media Campaign Idea Takes Off
Nearly a year ago, one of the goals of the Southcentral Regional Coalition Workgroup was to target the vaping community, within the hard-to-reach ages of 25-35-year-olds. With major guidance from Maggie Progin, from Lebanon Family Health Services, head lead of the workgroup, and Julie Davis Bartol from the American Lung Association, lead helper and creative direction guide, this idea started to take off. Workgroup members provided their comments, direction, feedback and approval of all materials.

I-stock photos were selected, taglines were approved and sample designs by Julie were sent out. Maggie and Julie were surprised by the ease of approval and very limited edits of the sample ads that were developed. Before handing this over to Communications to finalize the social media ads, Julie and Maggie, and later on David Huber, from the Lung Association, knew they had something... Good? Effective? Inspirational?

The concept of this campaign was to put an idea in the target market's head that people their age quit and here's why. It starts off with the tagline that states: "Why did you quit vaping?" and simply provides the reasons why. There are eight designs with eight different reasons for quitting. Ads can be placed on nearly any social media platform, such as Meta (Facebook), Instagram, Twitter, TicTok, and Google Ads. What does the future hold for this campaign that derived from the SC Workgroup? Endless possibilities... or maybe just billboards, radio and more! The ads will be released towards the end of summer. Stay tuned for exciting, launching announcements!  
Northeast Region Workgroup Idea: Freedom From Smoking Video Testimonial
Developing a FFS Testimonial Video came out of an idea brought to us by coalition workgroup members in the Northeast. The concept behind the Freedom From Smoking® Testimonials is for it to be a marketing tool, so that others contemplating tobacco/vape treatment recovery would help them understand they didn’t have to stop on day-1 during substance use treatment when entering the Freedom From Smoking (FFS) program.

Participants who recently completed the proven addiction and behavior change model spoke of their personal journey in tobacco/vape treatment recovery to provide first hand insight to other individuals interested in making a change to live a healthier life.

Valerie Williams of Eastcentral Northeast PA Area Health Education Center suggested the idea so that she and others could use the video in their session zero talks and promotion of FFS Tobacco Treatment, Recovery classes.
Coalition Member Spotlight / Highlights
Looking Forward to Seeing You in New Orleans! 
Please be sure to stop by the American Lung Association abstracts at the 2022 NCTOH Conference in New Orleans! There will be several staff members attending from the Lung Association, PA team. And, several will be presenting a few posters. The poster abstracts include: 
  • Tobacco Dependence Treatment Integration into a Behavioral Health Setting
  • Freedom From Smoking (FFS) Virtual Clinic Evaluation
  • Lung Cancer Screening and Tobacco Cessation Integration
Southcentral Region FY23, Vape-Free Schools Initiative
In FY23, the Southcentral region will continue to strengthen partnerships with school districts by helping them become members of the Vape-Free School Initiative (VFSI). As Tobacco Service Providers, it is our goal to help schools become leaders in supporting students impacted by the youth vaping epidemic, offering education, cessation, and support. Recruiting schools to become members of the VFSI means school districts and their employees have the capability to offer tobacco cessation, education, and support on their campuses.

To become a member of the VFSI, one or more of school personnel must complete N.O.T and INDEPTH facilitator trainings, as well as complete an assessment of the school’s tobacco-free policy. If you would like more information on the Vape-Free School Initiative, contact David at David.Huber@lung.org.
Holy Cross High School Raises Funds
Pictured from left-right: Maryrita Stuckart, Holy Cross TRU Moderator/Advisor; Tony Delonti, Specialist-Health Promotion and Ben Tolerico, Principal, Holy Cross HS
Holy Cross High School of Dunmore, PA held a dress down day as part of their Turquoise Takeover activity. They raised an impressive $1,500! Holy Cross decided to generously donate the entire amount to the American Lung Association.
Pocono Pride Festival Goes Smoke Free for the First Time!
The Pocono Chamber of Commerce held their first Pocono Pride smoke-free event on June 5th at the Stroudsburg Courthouse Square from 12 PM – 5 PM. Northeast coalition members, Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center and the Lehigh Valley Health Network – Pocono assisted in the promotion and advocation of having this event be smoke/vape free.

Bradbury-Sullivan Community Center is making great strides in identifying other LGBTQ centers throughout Pennsylvania and educating staff and key personnel on becoming tobacco free by having their Pride events go smoke-free. Feel free to reach out to key staff members of Bradbury-Sullivan if assistance is needed with outreach of identifying or having your local LGBT center go smoke/vape free.  

Lehigh Valley Health Network - Pocono also attended the Pocono Pride Festival. Dawn Gizzo (center, gray shirt) from Lehigh Valley Health Network, Pocono, works along with team members providing tobacco prevention educational resources. This was a successful event with a high attendance rate.
Latino Connection's Pop-Up Events
Latino Connection has been hosting pop-up events throughout the Northcentral region. These beneficial events are targeting Latino members of rural communities and further educating them on the burdens of tobacco related illnesses and economic consequences caused by tobacco use. 
State College Pride Festival
Members of the Northcentral Tobacco Free Coalition attended the State College Pride Festival on Saturday, June 11th. Meredith Bigger and Michael Glantz from the American Lung Association were among those who had a table. Meredith reflected on the festival, "This was a really neat event on a day with absolutely perfect weather! We had several opportunities, not only to share facts about LGBTQ tobacco use and our quitting programs, but also COPD, Asthma, and other Lung Diseases." They shared available resources to help those who were ready to quit. It was a great day overall! For festival photos and details, visit centrelgbtqa.squarespace.com/pride2022main
NEW! FY22 Southcentral, Northeast & Northcentral PA by the numbers
2,382 INDIVIDUALS
Individuals impacted by smoke- or tobacco-free policies in workplaces and multi-unit housing sites. 
508 INDIVIDUALS
Individuals enrolled in tobacco cessation classes.
405 MEMBERS 
TRU youth membership.
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