A Message from NAQC - Commercial Tobacco Control Movement Faces Setback

NOTE: HHS Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, will is no longer expected to testify in front of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on April 10. The hearing is being postponed until further notice.  

Dear NAQC members,

Last week’s events have been devastating for the commercial tobacco control movement. The Health and Human Services (HHS) restructuring placed all staff at the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) on administrative leave, pending a reduction in force (RIF) as of June 2. We don’t yet know the full impact of these changes, but I wanted to share with you what we do know and what we, at NAQC, are monitoring in the short term.

First, it is important to separate the changes in staff from any changes in funding. Functionally, OSH will have no staff as a result of the RIF after June 2, and while on administrative leave OSH employees will not have access to phones, emails, or computers to conduct activities. Staff who were eligible and submitted for early retirement were not subject to the RIF, are not on administrative leave, but have a last day of April 19. The number of staff in this category is very small and we do not expect they will carry out any tasks with OSH external partners.

The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), of which OSH was a part, made grants and contracts, using federal budget allocations and the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF), for the National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP). The grants and contracts from NCCDPHP had OSH staff as project officers. The NTCP funds supported state tobacco control programs and quitlines. NCCDPHP also funded cooperative agreements with training and technical assistance providers such as NAQC. NCCDPHP still exists in a reduced form and funding for grants and contracts that existed before April 1 is still available.

There are several developments and timelines we are monitoring over the next 3-4 weeks:

1. April 10: HHS Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, will testify in front of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on April 10. He is expected to testify about the restructuring within HHS and answer questions from the committee members.
2. April 18: According to news sources, HHS has been directed to reduce existing grants and contracts by 35% by April 18. There is concern that HHS divisions that were eliminated will bear the brunt of these reductions. If so, funding for the NTCP is at risk. We do not yet know how this will play out but are watching closely for developments.
3. April 28: The year 5 state NTCP funding expires on April 28. States submitted for another year of funding, and we understand these were approved by project officers before April 1. We further understand states have not received their notice of award (NOA) that would continue funding, and we are following these developments closely.

We know it is extraordinarily difficult to make decisions and engage in program planning without information. And, information about these changes is extraordinarily difficult to find and is changing all the time. So, what can we, as a quitline community, do?

Ahead of the April 10 HELP committee hearings, now is the time to educate your community stakeholders and leadership about the implications of OSH being eliminated from CDC and about the implications of NTCP funding cuts. Consider the following questions:

1. What impact will it have on your ability to conduct tobacco control activities without strong partners at the CDC? How does it impact your ability to receive support with creating a comprehensive tobacco control workplan?
2. OSH staff supported running the national Tips From Former Smokers Campaign and conducted surveillance on tobacco use through population surveys, among other activities. What impact will eliminating these functions have on your ability to prevent tobacco initiation among youth, educate people who use tobacco about the benefits of cessation, and help people in your state quit?
3. How many people in your state do you reach with prevention messaging and programs using NTCP funding?
4. How many people in your state do you reach with cessation messaging and programs using NTCP funding? How many fewer people would quit without continued funding support?
5. How many staff within the state tobacco control program are supported by NTCP funding?

The fastest way to educate your community stakeholders and leadership is to engage in conversations or provide prepared statements like data briefs and “Swiss Cheese” press releases.

1. Call your community stakeholders and provide them with information about the implications of OSH staff reductions and funding challenges in your state. Activate communication networks to share information with others.
2. Educate your leadership with a data brief to demonstrate the impact of funding loss. Consider using the questions above to guide data choices.
3. Work with your communications staff to develop a “Swiss Cheese” press release for local partners. This type of document allows partners to insert information to tailor the release for their audience.

It is no understatement to say we are working through one of the biggest challenges facing commercial tobacco control in the last 25 years, since the National and State Tobacco Control Program was established. As we work to advance the mission of quitlines, we will undoubtedly need support from each other. Please share what you are hearing or doing to help us all advance together, and please reach out to NAQC if you need assistance with your next steps.

In solidarity,

Thomas Ylioja, PhD, MSW (he/his)

President & CEO

North American Quitline Consortium