State, Tribal and Territorial Agency Tobacco & Cancer Control Community of Practice Kick-Off Meeting

The 2016 State, Tribal and Territorial Agency Tobacco & Cancer Control Community of Practice (CoP) is a 7-month initiative comprised of 10 state, tribal and territorial agency teams (e.g., state, tribal, or territorial departments of behavioral health/mental health and substance use, tobacco control programs, cancer control/prevention programs, public health departments) that seek to learn and disseminate strategies to address tobacco use and cancer risk in people with mental illnesses and substance use disorders at the state, tribal, or territorial levels. Participating state, tribal and territorial agencies will gain access to national experts and educational materials to help them develop and implement evidence-based tobacco and cancer control and prevention practices among populations with mental illnesses and substance use disorders.

Participating CoP state, tribal, or territorial agency teams will:

• Identify strategies to better address tobacco and cancer control needs among populations with mental illnesses and substance use disorders;
• Incorporate specific state, tribal or territorial-level tobacco and cancer control strategies to address the needs of populations with mental illnesses and substance use disorders into Health Systems Transformation efforts, including but not limited to the following efforts:
• Preparing community behavioral health organizations to meet quality metrics and standards related to health systems transformation efforts such as Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs);
• Leveraging relationships with community behavioral health providers through state, tribal, territorial and/or local behavioral health provider associations;
• Supporting cross-systems collaborations among comprehensive cancer control programs, tobacco control programs and community behavioral health organizations (CBHOs).

Participating state, tribal, or territorial agency teams will participate in an in-person orientation and action plan development meeting at the Magnolia Hotel in Denver, Colorado, and webinars and/or group calls facilitated by national experts focused on topic areas identified as highest priorities by program participants. Throughout the course of the CoP, state, tribal, or territorial agency teams will have the opportunity to develop action plans for tracking and monitoring their tobacco and cancer control goals.