Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program (MTUPP)

Annual Statewide Conference

AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS (printable version)

Every Montanan has the right to breathe clean indoor air .

CONFERENCE PURPOSE

To expose the tobacco industry's ongoing tactics to undermine the public's right to breathe clean indoor air; to demonstrate the urgent need to protect public health by eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke; and to show that every Montanan can play a part in full implementation of the 2005 Clean Indoor Air Act.

GOALS

•  Expand public support for full implementation of the Clean Indoor Air Act.

•  Engage decision makers in addressing the tobacco epidemic in Montana

•  Prepare conference participants to engage new allies and partners to work for a smokefree Montana

•  Raise public awareness of the Clean Indoor Air Act through earned media.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 7

Optional Pre-Conference Activities

7:00 -7:20 a.m. Group-Led Morning Stretch & Walk

7:20 a.m. Smudging ceremony (Invited Tribal Elder, tentative)

7:00 - 8:00 a.m. Conference Check-In & Registration ( Continental Breakfast available)

8:30 a.m. General Session Convenes

8:30 - 8:45 a.m. OPENING REMARKS

Conference Moderator – Bruce Adkins , Director, Division of Tobacco Prevention, West Virginia Bureau for Public Health. Currently the C hair of the National Tobacco Control Network, Bruce Adkins is a member of the National Chronic Disease Directors Association Tobacco Council and the Wellness and Workplace Committee; has served the past 7 years on the National Network on Tobacco Prevention and Poverty; and has presented on various topics at many national tobacco prevention and health promotion conferences and training.

8:45 - 9:00 a.m Linda Lee , Section Supervisor, Montana Tobacco Use Prevention

Program, Department of Public Health and Human Services

9:00 - 10:30 a.m. KEYNOTE SPEAKER – Dr. Jeffrey Wigand

The Man Who Knew Too Much (tentative session title)

Jeffrey Wigand, PhD, is k nown widely as a “tobacco crusader” for his courageous act of coming forward and exposing the truth about the tobacco industry. F ormer Vice President for Research and Development at Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, his revelations came forward in a deposition that was critical in establishing the Master Settlement Agreement and in an interview on CBS's 60 Minutes – an interview that the network initially censored. He was portrayed by Oscar nominee, Russell Crowe, in the highly acclaimed movie, The Insider . Founder of Smokefree Kids, Inc., a nonprofit foundation that uses scientific methods of discovery, actual industry data and documents to explain how the industry targets children and youth to generate new tobacco addicts. he is the recipient of numerous awards including the American Heart Association's Hero of the Year Award and the American Lung Association's Exceptional Achievement Award.

10:30 - 10:45 a.m. BREAK

10:45 - 12:00 p.m. Faith Leaders and Smokefree Air: A Match Made in Heaven

Vincent DeMarco , Coordinator, Faith United Against Tobacco

Vincent DeMarco's long time advocacy for public health causes prompted the Baltimore Sun to name him “Marylander of the Year” in 1988. As National Coordinator of Faith United Against Tobacco, he works to mobilize faith leaders across the country to help reduce smoking. He serves as President of the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative, a state coalition working to achieve health care for all in Maryland . Through his work as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, he educates public health students from around the world on effective methods of advocating for public health policies. He was awarded the 2007 “Consumer Health Advocate of the Year” Award by Families USA and the Central Maryland Ecumenical Council's “Bryce Shoemaker Award” in 2002, for his efforts to reduce gun violence and teen smoking.

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. LUNCH

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Secondhand Smoke Is No Joke. (tentative session title)

René Hicks , Comedian , Laughter Advocate, Lung Cancer Survivor

René Hicks, a comedy club veteran performing in clubs across the U.S. and internationally, uses her comedy to make a difference in people's lives. The first African-American woman nominated for an American Comedy Award for “Best Female Stand-Up,” and vastly popular on the college campus circuit, René is a two-time recipient of the coveted National College Comedian of the Year Award. She has appeared on numerous television shows, including Comedy Central's “The World Comedy Tour” and “Premium Blend,” ABC's “Politically Incorrect,” Showtime's “Full Frontal Comedy,” and NBC's “Comedy Showcase” with Louie Anderson. A nationally ranked, all-American distance runner while in college, René is now a lung cancer survivor – a non-smoker who contracted the disease from exposure to secondhand smoke.

2:00 - 2:15 p.m. Message from the reACT! Core Team

2:15 - 3:15 p.m. Montana Legislative Panel: How to Make Public Input Effective

3:15 - 3:30 p.m. BREAK

3:30 - 4:45 p.m. Small Breakout sessions with members of the Legislative Panel

4:45 – 5:00 p.m. – Thank you to Legislative Panel Members

 THURSDAY, MAY 8

Optional Pre-Conference Activities

7:00 -7:20 a.m. Group-Led Morning Stretch & Walk

7:20 a.m. Smudging ceremony (Invited Tribal Elder, tentative)

7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast available

8:30 a.m. General Session Convenes

8:30 - 8:45 a.m. WELCOME BACK: Conference Moderator – Bruce Adkins

8:45 - 9:45 a.m. The Helena Heart Study Times 10 (tentative session title)

Dr. Robert Shepard is a member of the MTUPP Tobacco Prevention Advisory Board and a co-author of the Helena Heart Study, which was the first study to document the immediate impact of a comprehensive indoor smokefree law on heart attack rates in a community. This peer-reviewed research has now been replicated in numerous communities and countries showing the significant life-saving benefits of becoming smoke-free.

9:45 - 10:45 a.m. How to Get the Local Doctor to Jump on Board the Smokefree Train , PatsyVargo, MD , Family Practice Physician, Great Falls, Montana

10:45 - 11:00 a.m. BREAK

11:00 - 12:00 p.m. Voices from the Field: What is working in our communities (tentative session title) Patricia Nichols to introduce three community/tribal contractors (to be selected)

12:00 - 12:15 p.m. Respecting the Tobacco Way ,Legacy Grant (tentative session title)

Bethany Hemlock, MPH – Epidemiologist, Montana Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council, Rocky Mountain Tribal Epi Center

12:15 - 1:00 p.m. LUNCH

1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Working in Local Communities to Sustain Support (tentative session title)

Bruce Adkins & Jodi Radke, Director, Rocky Mountain/Great Plains Region Campaign for Tobacco- Free Kids to lead interactive session with the audience

 2:00 - 3:00 p.m . Making News and Engaging the Media ( Local Media Panel)

3:00 - 3:15 p.m. BREAK

3:15 - 4:15 p.m. Small group breakouts with members of the Media Panel

4:15 - 4:30 p.m. BREAK

4:30 - 5:00 p.m. Taking Smokefree Montana to Heart! This means you! (tentative session title) Bruce Adkins & Linda Lee to lead

5:00 p.m. CONFERENCE ADJOURNS

For more information contact: Mikel Robinson at 406/243-2979 mikel.robinson@umontana.edu

Conference Organized by The University of Montana, Continuing Education, Technical Assistance and Training Center