The Comprehensive Statewide Tobacco Cessation Leadership Project is an ongoing project designed to assist tobacco control programs to expand tobacco cessation services in their states. This project builds on the partnership work of the Pacific Center on Health and Tobacco, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Center for Tobacco Cessation, and the Center for Tobacco-Free Kids.

The Project brings teams from eight states together in a national pilot to provide state-of-the-art technical support to help state cessation programs become more comprehensive and successful.

This ongoing project, presently sponsored by the Pacific Center on Health and Tobacco and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, held its launch workshop on February 24 and 25, 2004. National sponsors included the Pacific Center, the Centers for Disease Control, the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, and the Center for Tobacco Cessation.

At the launch workshop, participants learned the status of tobacco cessation in each state, about successful programs and strategies used in other states, discussed unique challenges and potential strategies, met colleagues who could help, and found useful resources. Continuing from the launch workshop, follow-up technical assistance was provided through topic specific conference calls, individual telephone and email consultation, and some on-site technical support.

A second annual workshop was held on February 2 and 3, 2005. Sponsors for this workshop included the original sponsors and was also sponsored by the American Legacy Foundation, the North American Quitline Consortium, the Tobacco Cessation Leadership Center, and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

The second workshop convened state leaders and the national sponsors to highlight the work accomplished during the previous year, to share best practices, resources, new developments in the field, and to discuss strategies for addressing existing challenges.

For more information on the Comprehensive Statewide Tobacco Cessation Leadership Project contact Wendy Bjornson at bjornson@ohsu.edu.