TOBACCO CONTROL PARTNERS
TOBACCO GRANT
Health Ed Pros strives to create healthier communities in the State of Indiana through effective and interactive health education. The Indiana Department of Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Commission (TPC) has chosen to aid Health Ed Pros in their mission by providing grant funding specializing in tobacco prevention. Health Ed Pros collaborates with Head Start centers and similar organizations to deliver tobacco education to their staff and families.
Children who are exposed to second and thirdhand smoke/vapor get sick more often, suffering from ear infections, asthma attacks, bronchitis, and pneumonia. Sadly, more than 1,300 Hoosiers die from exposure to secondhand smoke each year. Adults with lower income and education levels use tobacco at higher rates, which makes Head Start and similar organizations ideal partners.
Parents/Caregivers may be unknowingly contributing to their child’s health problems, like asthma, by exposing them to second and thirdhand smoke/vapor in their home or car. Trained staff who have built rapport with the families they serve can help parents make the connection between their tobacco use and related health problems. They can encourage parents to maintain smoke/vape free environments for children, and point them to quit resources, if they are ready.
BREATHE: HEALTHY STEPS TO LIVING TOBACCO FREE
“Breathe: Healthy Steps to Living Tobacco Free” is our grant-funded program that focuses on educating the staff at Head Start and similar partner organizations about the harms of second and thirdhand smoke/vapor and how to educate and reduce exposure for the families they serve. Through free, interactive trainings, the staff learn how second and thirdhand smoke/vapor hurts, what tobacco exposure costs, and how to direct parents/caregivers to quit resources. Free educational materials are made available to trained partners and include items such as flipcharts, parent handouts, parent/child activity booklets, interactive worksheets, engaging videos, materials in Spanish, and more. Breathe ensures staff members have the right expertise and tools to be successful in helping the families they serve become and stay smoke/vape-free.
Watch this short video to learn more about Breathe: https://vimeo.com/showcase/5229425?video=585033906
BREATHE PARTNERS
Health Ed Pros has partnered with organizations throughout Indiana to deliver the Breathe program for over 8 years. Some of our Breathe Partners include Head Start and Early Head Start centers, WIC, Local Health Departments, Healthy Families, Goodwill Nurse Family Partnerships, Community Action Agencies, Minority Health Coalitions, United Way, and various daycares/preschools.
If your organization is interested in learning more or becoming a Breathe Partner, please contact Tanya Shelburne at tanyas@healthedpros.org.
2025-2027 GRANT CYCLE
Health Ed Pros was awarded a fifth round of funding from the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Commission (TPC) to continue promoting the Breathe curriculum across the state of Indiana for the 2025-2027 grant cycle.
The Health Ed Pros team continues to modify and improve “Breathe” trainings and associated materials, in partnership with McMillen Health, to ensure participating partners have relevant and useful educational resources. Health Ed Pros also provides training and technical assistance to local TPC funded partners to deliver the Breathe program in their respective counties.
In counties without TPC funding, Health Ed Pros directly delivers Breathe to partner organizations as we work together to reduce the tobacco burden for families with low incomes.
KNOW THE FACTS ABOUT TOBACCO
- Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of premature death and disease in the US.
- The tobacco industry spends 23.5 Million dollars every day on marketing, with aggressive methods aimed at minorities, youth,
communities with low income households, and LGBTQ+ communities.
- Tobacco kills 11,000 people living in Indiana (480,000 total Americans) every year; more than car accidents, AIDS, homicides, and
alcohol combined.
- In Indiana,14.5% of adults currently smoke and 8.5% use e-cigarettes.
- 5.3% of Indiana residents reported smoking during their pregnancy.
- Tobacco use during pregnancy can cause preterm labor, miscarriage, low birthweight, and other negative outcomes.
- Even those who don’t smoke are at risk of health effects from secondhand smoke, and one in four non-tobacco users are exposed to
secondhand smoke. 1,300 Hoosiers die each year from OTHERS smoking.
- Thirdhand smoke includes the chemicals and toxins in smoke that settle on all surfaces and linger even after the person stops smoking or
leaves the room/car. Thirdhand smoke is dangerous to everyone, especially infants and children.
- E-cigarettes are the most commonly used nicotine product among Hoosier youth.
- The U.S. Surgeon General declared e-cigarette usage by minors an epidemic when vaping became the biggest increase in youth substance
abuse EVER recorded.
- E-cigarette aerosol is NOT harmless “water vapor” and using e-cigarettes is NOT a proven cessation strategy.
Hoosiers interested in quitting can call Quit Now Indiana at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) for FREE assistance that is available 24/7 or they can text READY to 34191 or log on to quitnowindiana.com.
TOBACCO CONTROL LINKS AND RESOURCES
Learn more about Indiana tobacco control efforts at: https://www.in.gov/health/tpc/
For help quitting tobacco call 1-800-Quit-Now or log on http://quitnowindiana.com/
Vape Free Indiana: https://www.in.gov/vapefreeindiana/
VOICE – Indiana Youth Speaking Out Against Big Tobacco: http://www.voiceindiana.org/
IHSAA & IDOH Don’t Puff This Stuff: https://dontpuffthisstuff.com/
The Truth Initiative: https://truthinitiative.org/
Parents Against Vaping E-cigarettes: https://www.parentsagainstvaping.org/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco
National Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids: http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/
American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/
American Lung Association of Indiana: http://www.lungIN.org
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Alison Muckerheide MPH, CHES
Consultant/Project Specialist/Health Educator
812-212-0116
PREVIOUS ACCOMPLISHMENTS
During the 2023-2025 grant cycle, 85 Breathe trainings were conducted by Health Ed Pros and the TPC Funded Partners across Indiana. These trainings reached 1,607 people in 89 of the 92 Indiana counties, and 99.1% of training participants said they would recommend the Breathe training to others.
We have also presented on the Breathe program at many state and national conferences, including the National Conference on Tobacco or Health, the Indiana School Health Network Conference, the Indiana Head Start Conference, and the Expand Your Horizon Conference.
