“Get me the nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and I’ll implement the program tomorrow.” That’s what Iowa’s recovery community center network told state leaders once they were finally asked what it would take to make NRT as accessible as nicotine products.
Join us for a practical look at how Iowa used a statewide system redesign — and rising cancer rates that made the case impossible to ignore — as an opening to integrate tobacco use screening and treatment into recovery community centers (RCCs), led by the peers already doing the work.
Whether you work in a peer run organization, a state behavioral health agency, or supportive service setting, you’ll leave with concrete detail on what it actually took to expand tobacco use treatment for people with behavioral health conditions in recovery settings.
Presenter(s):
- Tabetha Gerdner, Executive Officer 2, State Tobacco Program Manager, Division of Behavioral Health Services, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
- Cody Crawford, Program Manager, Overdose Prevention and Recovery Services, Division of Behavioral Health, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
- Justin Edwards, Behavioral Health Block Grant Planner, Legal-Involved Services Project Manager, Division of Behavioral Health, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
- Adam Shanks, Quitline Iowa & Smoke Free Homes Program Manager, Division of Behavioral Health, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
- Mistie Parish, Recovery Coordinator, Division of Behavioral Health, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
Webinar Objectives:
- Describe how Iowa leveraged statewide system redesign and cross-sector partnerships to integrate tobacco use screening and treatment into recovery community centers.
- Identify key implementation ingredients from Iowa to generate at least one actionable strategy for advancing tobacco-free recovery efforts in your own state or organization.
- Examine early outcome data and lessons learned from Iowa’s RCC pilot to inform planning for tobacco-free recovery initiatives in behavioral health and recovery support settings.
Who Should Attend:
- State and local public health and behavioral health authorities
- Behavioral health administrators & providers
- Supportive service providers
- Social workers, peers, and community health workers
