2012 marks the 20th anniversary of the California Smokers’ Helpline, the first state/provincial quitline in North America! In an effort to engage the entire quitline community in a celebration of all we have learned, endured and achieved over the past twenty years, NAQC just launched its first blog, Celebrating 20 Years of Quitline History with 20 Questions About our Future.

The blog features twenty questions generated by leaders across tobacco control and answered by quitline colleagues across North America. The final three questions were revealed at the 2012 NAQC Conference. There, conference attendees engaged in a lively, fun, collaborative process to answer the questions most focused on the future of quitlines: What is the future of quitlines in the next 3-5 years? How do we get there? What are the individual skills, talents, expertise that YOU bring to the future of quitlines?

Each blog question is listed below along with the colleague who graciously responded. Simply click on the question to read the full response. To download a PDF of all blog responses simply click HERE.

NAQC members are invited to post responses to blog entries and to share their own answers to the 20 questions about our future! View blog instructions HERE.

Question #1, January 3, 2012
What does the California Smokers’ Helpline know now in 2012 that they wish they knew 20 years ago when the quitline was just starting up?
Shu-Hong Zhu, PhD

Question #2, January 30, 2012
Knowing what we know now, if we built the quitline cessation service of tomorrow, capable of serving and attracting tobacco users across the whole nation, what would it look like?
David Willoughby, MA

Question #3, February 14, 2012
This Valentine’s Day, are you dreaming of the perfect quitline?
Ann Wendling, MD

Question #4, February 28, 2012
What are the lessons-learned over the past 20 years that quitlines MUST carry forward into the next 20 years?
Tim McAfee, MD, MPH

Question #5, March 12, 2012
How do we make quit lines make a difference in lowering smoking rates? How can quit lines be significant to population-based tobacco control?
Mike Cummings, PhD, MPH

Question #6, April 9, 2012
What strategies can we use to engage Generation Y in quit coaching?
Jack Boomer, MPA

Question #7, May 21, 2012
What are some of the creative strategies you have used to garner support from policymakers? If you could give one piece of advice on communicating with policymakers about quitlines, what would it be?
Jennifer Singleterry, MA

Question #8, May 29, 2012
What makes quitlines a powerful tool in building public-private partnerships?
David Zauche

Question #9, June 4, 2012
What makes a good quitline coach?
Stephen Michael, MS

Question #10, June 11, 2012
What are the most critical aspects of training for quit coaches?
Donna Czukar

Question #11, June 18, 2012
What is the role of your quitline in encouraging or supporting health-systems change?
Todd Hill

Question #12, June 25, 2012
How the quitline community can move most effectively from fax-referral to e-referral and what the benefits of such a change would be?
Rob Adsit, MEd

Question #13, July 9, 2012
What role can cost-sharing partnerships play in ensuring sustainable quitline services in states and provinces?
Julie Rainey, PhD

Question #14, July 30, 2012
What ongoing research is most likely to advance quitlines and the cessation agenda?
Susan Zbikowski, PhD

Question #15, August 1, 2012
What are the opportunities on the very near horizon that quitlines must take full advantage of?
Scott Leischow, PhD

Question #16, August 8, 2012
How do we most effectively leverage quitlines to improve cessation statewide/province-wide?
Sally Herndon

Question #17, August 21, 2012
What is the potential of quitines and cessation services to decrease tobacco use prevalence in this decade?
David Abrams, PhD