With summer in full swing, the Geographic Health Equity Alliance (GHEA) is highlighting two exciting webinar series that we don’t want you to miss out on. These webinars are geared towards tobacco- and cancer- control program staff but are also applicable to other organizations working in those fields. The webinars support policy, systems and environmental strategies to reduce geographic health disparities related to commercial tobacco and cancer in communities and promote health equity.
We invite you to join us for the Local Control and Rural Inclusion in Comprehensive Cancer Control webinar series below and watch the archived recordings of any webinars you may have missed. For any questions, please contact ghea@cadca.org.
Local Control Series
Local governments are on the front lines of adopting laws and policies that have the potential to improve health outcomes and reduce inequities. GHEA, along with Counter Tools, is hosting a three-part webinar series to equip attendees with an understanding of why local policy solutions are important, lessons learned from local policy implementation efforts and innovative policy strategies built at the local-level.
Webinar 1: Building the Rationale for Local Policy Change
The ability for cities and towns to tailor laws is vitally important to ensuring these policies adhere to the wants and needs of the communities they impact. In this webinar, speakers will provide a broad rationale for local-level policy efforts and the implications for public health, as well as insight on strategies that have proven successful for local policy implementation.
Speakers:
- Brooks Rainwater, National League of Cities
- Nestor Davidson, Fordham University School of Law
- Sara Bartel, ChangeLab Solutions
Webinar 2: Using Local Momentum to Drive State and Federal Policy Change
Assessing local policy change through case studies helps identify lessons learned and keys to success, which can help set the stage for state or national change. The Tobacco 21 and smokefree air movements are two examples of tobacco control policy strategies that have seen success at the local level in building support for wider initiatives. GHEA and Counter Tools bring together leaders from these movements to share insights on how steadfast work at the local level helped to drive policy change across the country.
Speakers:
- Onjewel Smith, American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation
- Barry Hummel, Quit Doc Research and Education Foundation
- Ginny Chadwick, University of Missouri
Webinar 3: Innovative Local Solutions in Public Health
August 22, 2022 at 2 PM EDT
Description: We often see innovative policy solutions tested first at the local-level. In this webinar, you’ll learn about alcoholic beverage regulations in Montgomery County, the sole “control” jurisdiction in the state of Maryland and one of very few jurisdictions across the country to use this model. You’ll hear about efforts at the county level in Maryland to advance policies that make the food and beverage options on restaurant kids’ meal menus healthier, with a strategy of spreading these policies throughout the state and an eye towards a state-level law. We will also highlight the City of Berkeley, California, the first city in the nation to levy a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, as well as the first in the country to pass a healthy checkout policy.
Speakers:
- Kathie Durbin
Director, Alcohol Beverage Services
Montgomery County, MD
- Stuart Berlow
Government Relations Regional Lead
American Heart Association
- Holly Scheider
Public Health Policy Consultant
Scheider Consulting
Rural Inclusion in Comprehensive Cancer Control Series
Comprehensive cancer control programs have a unique opportunity to provide a blueprint for addressing rural disparities within their states. GHEA, along with the University of Iowa’s Advancing Cancer and Rural Equity Lab, is hosting a 4-part webinar series to help comprehensive cancer control programs meaningfully include rural in their program planning processes.
Webinar #1: Defining and Describing Rural Communities in Comprehensive Cancer Control Planning
Webinar one will focus on how “rural” is commonly defined and what data sources are available to describe the rural cancer burden and cancer risk factors to incorporate into comprehensive cancer control plans. Completed on June 6, 2022.
Webinar #2: Building Rural-Focused Partnerships in Comprehensive Cancer Control Planning
August 16, 2022 at 1-2:30 PM EST
Webinar two will discuss how to build partnerships with rural partners and highlight state plans and consortia who have ensured rural voices are at the table. Completed on August 14, 2022.
Webinar #3: Setting Rural-Focused Goals and Strategies in Comprehensive Cancer Control Planning
Webinar three will provide best practices for developing goals, objectives, and strategies that address both the unique challenges and strengths of rural communities.
Webinar #4: Identifying and Implementing Evidence-Based Strategies in Comprehensive Cancer Control Planning
Webinar four will highlight examples of evidence-based strategies for cancer control and how these have been effectively implemented in rural communities, organizations and clinical settings.
Registration information coming soon!
