4400 Auburn Blvd., 2nd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95841
(916) 929-9761

Last Modified: August 15, 2008












Tobacco Education and Prevention
Support Center (TEPTS)

 

tobacco logo

 

 

 

The Tobacco Education and Prevention Technical Support Center (TEPTS) program is funded through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health. The TEPTS Center is funded with two cooperative agreement grants from 2005-2010 to provide American Indian specific tobacco control outreach to California and Nevada Tribes, as well as American Indian urban programs in California, Nevada, and Utah.

TEPTS goal is to reduce the initiation of commercial tobacco abuse among youth. Educate you and adults about the hazards of smoking commercial tobacco. Reduce the amount of exposure of secondhand smoke to people in homes, work, and community buildings. Educate on the sacred and traditional use of tobacco among the American Indian Culture.

 

Capacity Grant

Target Groups:

• CRIHB member tribes and affiliated clinics
• American Indian tribes, health programs, and education programs in California and Nevada
• Urban American Indian health programs in California, Nevada, and Utah
• Tobacco control agencies
• CDC Implementation and Capacity Grantee Programs


Priority Areas:

  • Prevent and reduce Commercial Tobacco Abuse and exposure to secondhand smoke

  • Culturally-appropriate prevention of commercial tobacco abuse among American Indian youth

  • Promote commercial tobacco cessation among American Indian adults and youth

  • Reduce secondhand smoke in American Indian tribal and urban communities

  • Provide Mini-grants in an amount up to $2,000 that enable tribal communities to:

    • Initiate and implement community norm change related to American Indian youth activities
    • Promote cessation among American Indian adults and youth
    • Train and provide technical assistance to implement secondhand smoke reduction programs and education

 

 

Implementation Grant

Target Groups:

  • CRIHB member tribes and affiliated clinics
  • American Indian tribes, health programs, and education programs in California
  • CDC Implementation and Capacity Grantee Programs

     

Priority Areas:

  • Evaluate promising tobacco programs and strategies for cultural relevance, community competence, program effectiveness, and ability to replicate in American Indian/Alaska Native communities

  • Convene a network of tribal tobacco control programs to provide guidance and mentoring to CDC Capacity Programs

  • Plan and conduct community-level tobacco education and training to prevent initiation among American Indian/Alaska Native youth

  • Plan and conduct community-level tobacco education and training to promote cessation among American Indian/Alaska Native youth

  • Plan and conduct community-level tobacco education and training to reduce secondhand smoke in American Indian/Alaska Native communities

  • Provide Mini-grants in an amount up to $2,000 that enable tribal communities to:

    • Initiate and implement community norm change related to American Indian youth activities
    • Promote cessation among American Indian adults and youth
    • Reduction efforts regarding secondhand smoke exposure in tribally-owned buildings and in homes

Working To Keep Tobacco Sacred

Basket woman

Traditional and cultural use tobacco has had a sacred purpose with many American Indian tribes. It is used for prayer, to show respect, to heal, and give spiritual protection. Tobacco was never meant to be abused. Sacred use of tobacco does not include the use of commercial tobacco products.

Did You Know?

American Indians in California smoke and chew commercial tobacco twice as much as other Californians.(1)

40% of American Indian deaths in California are related to commercial tobacco abuse. (2)

Native tobacco and its smoke are effective for curing a number of ailments, including: muscle aches, ear aches, soothes swelling, skin infections, and tooth aches. (3)


1. Hodge, F.S. Prevalence of Smoking/Smokeless Tobacco Use In 18 Northern California American Indian Health Clinics, Volume A, American Indian Cancer Control Project, Berkeley, CA 1994 2. Hodge, F.S., It's Your Life-It's Our Future Stop Smoking Project: A Report on American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. National Cancer Institute; 1999: 72. 3. Teach Children to Respect Beliefs about Traditional Tobacco Use, AITEP, 2000.

TEPTS IS YOUR RESOURCE CENTER FOR AMERICAN INDIAN SPECIFIC TOBACCO CONTROL SERVICES

 

*Community Tobacco Educator Training's

A Community Tobacco Educator can assist in improving the health and well being of tribal communities.. Training's will increase your knowledge and resource base, on areas of traditional tobacco, commercial tobacco, its abuse and prevention strategies. With this useful information, you will be able to conduct public activities and projects to educate your community. The training also provides resources to aid those addicted to commercial tobacco who want to quit. For information on upcoming CTE Training's, contact TEPTS at (916) 929-9761.

For your convenience TEPTS has provided CTE modules and presentations to download for your use.

*Cultural Competency Training

The California Rural Indian Health Board's tobacco programs have been working with the California Smokers' Helpline for several years. The working relationship was initiated by CRIHB in 1999. CRIHB conducted a research on the utilization of the Helpline by CRIHB Member Tribal Health Programs. One of the identified barriers of the Helpline was the lack of counselors' cultural competence. Thus, the Tobacco Education and Prevention Technical Support (TEPTS) Center developed a Cultural Competency Training to educate California Helpline counselors.

The training provides education about the importance of traditional tobacco use in American Indian communities. We also educate on communication characteristics one might find in speaking with a rural American Indian caller. The training's are held once a year or upon request from the Helpline.

TEPTS is currently developing the National Training for Helpline Counselors to Assist American Indian Smokers' guidebook. Along with the guidebook a web-based training will be developed for use by all Quitelines.

Quitting is easier with help!
Call the California Smokers' Helpline: 1-800-NO-BUTTS (1-800-662-8887)

*Secondhand Smoke Training (SHS)

It is important to educate and raise awareness among tribal community members about the health risks of secondhand smoke to improve the quality of their lives and create choices for their children. It is helpful to understand that there are various ways to reduce secondhand smoke in American Indian communities and that every community is unique. It is important that everyone become educated on the issues of secondhand smoke (SHS) or environment tobacco smoke (ETS) and then to assess where changes for improvements can be made.

 

Target audience

  • Healthcare workers
  • Tribal education staff
  • Community members
  • Tribal councils
  • Youth group leaders
  • Teachers
  • Parents

These resourceful people can begin identifying places to create change that can influence the lives of future generations. The training also provides the skills and confidence to establish partnerships and facilitate the Second Hand Smoke Education Training's.

*TEPTS Mini Grants

Three categories of Mini-Grants

1. Capacity Mini-Grants

Mini-grants up to $2,000 each will be awarded to enable communities to enable communities to implement projects that further the program objectives. Stipends will also be available for Youth Community Tobacco Educators to educate other youth on commercial tobacco, secondhand smoke, smokeless tobacco, cessation, and other tobacco education initiatives. The Tobacco Education and Technical Support Center Capacity Program will service all California and Nevada Tribes and Tribal Health programs, as well as California, Nevada, and Utah Urban Indian Health program. Mini-grants for Capacity have been fully funded for, the current grant year. The October 1, 2008 - September 29, 2009 Mini-grants application will be available September 1, 2008. for Capacity.

2. IMPLEMENTATION MINI-GRANT

Mini-grants up to $2,000 each will be awarded to enable communities to implement projects that further the program objectives. Funds can be used to fund a variety of community-based activities, including but not limited to, culturally specific smoke-free events, such as health fairs, traditional gatherings, pow wows, and Native garden projects. Eligible applicants include the TEPTS service area of California and Nevada American Indian Health programs, tribes and education programs, as well as the Utah Urban Indian Health programs. The Tobacco Education and Technical Support (TEPTS) Center Implementation Program will serve all CRIHB Member Tribes and Clinics, as well as California Indian Education Programs. Mini-grants for Implementation have been fully funded for, the current grant year. The October 1, 2008 - September 29, 2009 Mini-grants application will be available September 1, 2008 for Implementation.

3. TEPTS Community Grants/Stipends 

Stipends ($250.00) are also be available for Youth Community Tobacco Educators to educate other youth on commercial tobacco, secondhand smoke, smokeless tobacco, cessation, and other tobacco education initiatives.

Mini-grants cannot be awarded to organizations that receive tobacco industry sponsorship and funding cannot cover reimbursement of any kind for food or nicotine replacement therapy (nicotine gum, patches, or nasal spray, etc). The same organization may apply again in different funding grant years to the TEPTS Center . However, applications from organizations which have not been previously funded will be given priority. Applications will be reviewed by the TEPTS Center Mini-Grant Subcommittee (MGS). An organization submitting a completed application will be notified of the award within two weeks after the subcommittee has met to review and score all mini-grants. All decisions of the MGS are final. The MGS may approve full or partial funding of the project.
Once a program is officially notified of funding, monies will be reimbursed upon submission of a final report along with all required documentation (receipts, written reports, and tracking measures). All mini-grant funds should be requested and invoiced by the date noted in the Mini-grant Requirements/Due Date Schedule, so that each grant funding cycle can be closed out in a timely manner.
Applications must be submitted to TEPTS Center at least 30 days prior to project start date.  If you have questions or need more information on Mini-Grants, please contact TEPTS at (916) 929-9761.

*Five ‘A’s Training


The TEPTS Center has an intervention program to identify, and support cessation efforts of adults or pregnant women who are commercial tobacco users.  Five ‘A’ is based on The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Clinical Guide and is a concise and an effective method that can be utilized by health care professionals.

Five ‘A’s training is for healthcare professionals, as well as the supporting staff of health clinics.  This one hour presentation addresses the ways to implement this brief Five ‘A’s intervention program at health clinics. Along with the presentation, TEPTS will provide your clinic with supporting brochures, posters, and information booklet.

*Tribal Tobacco Talk Newsletter

The TEPTS Center produces and distributes its quarterly Tribal Tobacco Talk newsletter to share program specific information and upcoming events, as well as news and updates from regional tribal tobacco and cancer programs. The newsletter also includes tobacco education information useful to American Indian health care providers and tribal education programs. Our primary distribution is for tribes across California and Nevada, and urban American Indian programs in California, Nevada, and Utah. In addition, several newsletters are distributed nationally, with nearly 500 newsletters circulated quarterly.

Posted below are the current and recent past issues of the Tribal Tobacco Talk newsletter.

June 2008 [PDF]
March 2008 [PDF]
December 2007 [PDF]
September 2007 [PDF]
June 2007 [PDF]
December 2006 [PDF]

Tobacco Education & Prevention Technical Support Center (TEPTS)
A program of the California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc.
4400 Auburn Blvd., 2nd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95841
Phone: (916) 929-9761
Fax: (916) 929-7246

 

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