Consequences of Legislative Loss of Funding for Statewide Tobacco Programs

Audience:

Health departments, policymakers, tobacco control advocates, funders of tobacco control initiatives.

Key Points:

The North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF), established by the North Carolina (NC) General Assembly in 2001 and supported with Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) funds to reduce and prevent tobacco use among young people in NC, was abolished by the NC General Assembly in May, 2011, effective June 30.  Funding for the statewide tobacco initiatives shifted to the Department of Health and Human Services (effective July 1), but the quarter-long climate of funding uncertainty and breaks in grant contracts yielded employee loss, decreased program activities and damaged program credibility.  Continued threats to program funding forced a shift in focus from policy adoption activities to advocacy activities for program funding.  Overall, programs remained effective, but successful and long standing tobacco initiatives experienced declines in the third and fourth quarters of the fiscal year.  We present these findings in the context of our experience as independent evaluators of the NC Tobacco Initiatives since 2003.

Educational Experience:

Given background information on the NC experience, participants will form small groups to discuss strategies for sustaining tobacco control programs and acting proactively during fiscal uncertainty.  

Benefits:

States are under increased pressure to reallocate MSA funds to meet constantly-changing demands. By understanding how a threat to funding impacts a statewide tobacco initiative program, participants will be in a better position to minimize damage while they advocate for continued state-level funding.