Sustainability
Lessons learned in relation to practice
Promotion of a statewide recognition program as an incentive provided an increased receptibility to policy change with local worksites and multifamily communities. A collaboration with the Florida Apartment Association (FAA) provided program staff with tools to promote the program during meetings with stakeholders to garner support of the implementation of smoke free policies in apartment and condominium communities. The FAA partnered with DOH-Broward to promote smoke free multiunit housing to apartments and condominiums throughout the state of Florida. As a result, the FAA launched a smoke free multiunit housing certification program, and this has resulted in favorable decisions to implement smoke free policies within local communities. The Florida Tobacco Cessation Alliance (FTCA) Worksite Wellness Award was established to recognize and to set standards for businesses that provide comprehensive tobacco cessation services to their employees. Program staff have been able to efficiently utilize this as an incentive to assist employers with the transition to creating tobacco free worksites.
Since 2015, the SWAT program was designed to provide SWAT youth with opportunities to collaborate with local community partners and other SWAT youth throughout Broward County through the formulation of quarterly Tobacco Free Youth Workshops. DOH-Broward program staff organized and hosted meetings between the Tobacco Free Partnership of Broward County and local SWAT members to provide opportunities for collaboration on current tobacco control projects at the local level. As a result, SWAT youth were able to participate in various tobacco prevention and education outreach activities such as local commission meetings, school board meetings, Relay for Life, the Above the Influence Teen Rally, Tobacco Free Art Exhibit, Tobacco Free Youth and Young Adult essay contest, and the Fort Lauderdale Beach Sweep.
Lessons learned in relation to partner collaboration
Today, DOH-Broward continues to maintain partnerships with local partners and stakeholders in tobacco prevention and control. Those partnerships include the Tobacco Free Partnership of Broward County, Nova Southeastern University Area Health Education Center (NSU AHEC), Broward Regional Health Planning Council (BRHPC), American Lung Association (ALA), Broward College (BC), Southeast Florida Apartment Association (SEFAA), United Way of Broward County, and YMCA. Partnerships with these local organizations assisted with different aspects of the tobacco prevention program and were instrumental in influencing policy change in multiple areas. Program staff work closely with NSU AHEC to promote the use of tobacco cessation services and have assisted the establishment and maintenance of tobacco policies within worksites. Strong partnerships with the ALA and SEFAA have garnered support of local property managers, condominium board members, and agency administrators for the establishment of smoke free multiunit housing policies within local market rate, condominium, and public housing authority communities. The local TFP and BC have been pivotal in establishing tobacco free campus policies with all local colleges and universities in Broward County.
BCPS and its Office of Diversity, Prevention, and Intervention continues to be a leading partner with the SWAT component of the Tobacco Prevention program. Since 2015, SWAT was successfully implemented in approximately 29% of BCPS middle and high schools.
Additionally, due to the program's success and positive response in the community, supplemental grant funds was awarded from the Health Foundation of South Florida and Broward Regional Health Planning Council to further expand the efforts of SWAT and smoke-free multiunit housing.
Did you do a cost/benefit analysis? A cost/benefit analysis was not conducted.
Is there a sufficient stakeholder commitment to sustain the practice?
The Tobacco Free Partnership of Broward County was designed with sustainability in mind. The TFP of Broward County is comprised of local community partners that have a vested interest in tobacco prevention and control efforts. The TFP of Broward has strong membership from organizations such as American Lung Association, Broward County Public Schools, United Way of Broward County, American Cancer Society, Nova Southeastern University, Florida Atlantic University, Broward Regional Health Planning Council, and Concerned Citizens.
TFP members receive training from DOH-Broward program staff on a continual basis to remain current on trends and concepts in tobacco prevention and control. Members of the established partnership are committed to sustaining practices that will prevent or reduce the health risk associated with tobacco use through community engagement and education.
Describe the sustainability plans
Local community partners were inspired by the accomplishments of the tobacco prevention program which resulted in an increase in funding of $363,960 which has been utilized to increase tobacco prevention efforts. DOH-Broward was awarded supplemental grant funds from the Health Foundation of South Florida and the Broward Regional Health Planning Council to expand the efforts of SWAT and smoke free multiunit housing.
Due to the success of the Tobacco Prevention Program, the Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida renewed the Community-Based Tobacco Interventions grant for another cycle through 2021. DOH-Broward will receive an additional $376,100 per year during the 2019-2021 grant cycle.