Many Hands Make Light Work: Military-Civilian Partnerships to Address Tobacco

Audience: Regardless of level of tobacco control experience, anyone who has active duty service members, National Guard or Reservists, and/or Veterans in their community will benefit from this presenation.

Key Points: Members of military communities have distinct health challenges and cultural influences that affect the high rate of tobacco-use by service members. As self-contained communities, military installations often operate with limited access to civilian tobacco cessation services. Furthermore, the civilian services that are available seldom address service members in a culturally appropriate way. To meet the ever-growing demand for culturally appropriate tobacco cessation information and military-public health materials, Project UNIFORM has developed a series of recommended tobacco cessation and education practices and resources for creating appropriate and useful public health partnerships.

Educational Experience: Through interactive dialogue and activity, the audience will learn how to be more inclusive of members of military communities as well as better understand why these partnerships are vital to their work in tobacco control.

Benefits: These innovative approaches can be used throughout the nation to increase military-civilian partnerships that address tobacco use by members of military communities. Participants will benefit from the relevant programmatic experience as well as the distinctive and transferable perspective the presenter showcases.