Annual KCSP Conference Envisions a Smoke-Free Future for Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 19, 2019) – The Kentucky Center for Smoke-Free Policy (KCSP), the Kentucky Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Program (KTPC), Kentucky Department of Public Health and the University of Kentucky College of Nursing celebrated their tobacco free successes and vision for a tobacco-free future at the 2019 Kentucky Tobacco Conference, "Envisioning a Smoke-free Future." The conference took place April 16 and 17 at the Embassy Suites in Lexington.

The conference brought together health advocates from across the Commonwealth and hosted national speakers on health equity, smoke-free campaigns and the tobacco industry.

Conference speakers included:

• Vivian Lasley Bibbs, acting director, Office of Health Equity at the Kentucky Department for Public Health
• Trish Freeman, PhD, director, Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Practice, UK College of Pharmacy
• Monica Mundy, community advisor, Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy
• Jelaine Harlow, health educator, Lake Cumberland District Health Department
• Onjewel Smith, technical assistance consultant, American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation Southern States Regional Project
• Dianne Coleman, community health strategist, Three Rivers District Health Department
• Shannon Gillie, prevention specialist, NorthKey Community Care
• Jessica Lawrence, owner and director, Cairn Guidance
• Valerie Yerger, associate professor of heath policy, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco
• Elizabeth Anderson- Hoagland, policy analyst, Kentucky Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program
• Ellen Cartmell, public health policy advocate, Buffalo Trace Health Department
• Mindy Ickes, PhD, associate professor, UK College of Education
• Hayley Leach, ambassador, UK Tobacco-free Take Action!
• Amanda Fallin-Bennett, PhD, UK College of Nursing
• Audrey Darville, PhD, co-director, Tobacco Prevention and Treatment Division, BREATHE

“Our vision for a tobacco-free Kentucky has substantial support from the public, our community partners, and youth advocates,” said Ellen Hahn, professor and director of BREATHE at the UK College of Nursing. ”We celebrate their commitment to making their communities healthier places to live and work.”

The city of Elizabethtown received the Smoke-free Excellence in E-Cigarette Policy Award for their leadership in their comprehensive smoke-free ordinance to include e- cigarettes.

The Lee T. Todd, Jr. Smoke-free Hero Award recipient was Liz Burrows, Health Educator for Oldham County Health Department, for her commitment to smoke and tobacco free environments in the face of adversity.

The Timothy W. Mullett, MD Lung Cancer Prevention Award recipient was Ashley Gibson, research coordinator for St. Claire Healthcare for her devotion and passion for preventing lung cancer through education, advocacy and policy change.

David Nunery received the Brian Early Mattone, Esq. 2019 Legal Counsel Smoke-free Support award for outstanding smoke-free legal service.

The Smoke-free Indoor Air Excellence Award recipients were the cities of La Grange, Martin, Murray, Paducah, Stanford, Williamstown as well as Hardin and Oldham counties.

The recipient of the David B. Stevens, MD Smoke-free Advocate of the Year for promoting the secondhand smoke education and smoke free policy was Rick Skinner, mayor of Williamstown, Ky.

The Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy (KCSP) is housed in the Tobacco Policy Division of BREATHE, a community-engaged research team devoted to lung health, in the UK College of Nursing. KCSP conducts policy outcomes research, and provides resources and strategies to assist advocates working on smoke- and tobacco-free campaigns across Kentucky.

The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) is responsible for developing and operating state public health programs and activities for the citizens of Kentucky. The mission of DPH is to improve the health and safety of people in Kentucky through prevention, promotion and protection. 

The Kentucky Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program (KTPC) in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services aims to reduce preventable and premature deaths attributed to tobacco use by implementing programs to decrease tobacco use and exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke. This includes local and statewide programs encouraging youth not to use tobacco products and helping those who want to quit in doing so.