News

Foundation awards 2015 grants for a Smoke Free Community

June 2, 2015

The Paso del Norte Health Foundation recently awarded five grants totaling more than $3.2 million under the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Priority Area – A Smoke Free Paso del Norte initiative.

The purpose of A Smoke Free Paso del Norte initiative is to promote health and prevent disease in the Paso del Norte region by reducing smoking. Top priorities include programs aimed at children and youth, making cessation programs widely available, and promoting smoke-free environments. A Smoke Free Paso del Norte also strives to reduce the smoking rate among intermittent smokers, pregnant women, people living with small children, and those who lack the resources to provide for their own wellness.

Newly funded organizations are:

Children in Need of Services Inc. - $115,330.19 Smoke Free Initiative

To train youth to present Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU) to younger peers, provide “Breathe Smart from the Start” to young parents, facilitate two tobacco control youth coalitions, and provide cessation classes in Otero County, New Mexico.

City of El Paso, Department of Public Health - $128,194.00 Tobacco Exposed

To provide tobacco prevention lessons to elementary school students in school settings and youth of all ages in out-of-school settings, conduct in-service tobacco education and awareness lessons to current and future health educators, and provide cessation support to underserved populations in El Paso, Texas.

Families and Youth Inc. - $132,500.00 A Smoke Free Doña Ana County

To promote smoking cessation for pregnant women, adults with mental illnesses, and youth, facilitate two tobacco control youth coalitions to conduct compliance checks and engage in advocacy efforts, and collaborate with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and adult groups on tobacco control activities in Doña Ana County, New Mexico.

The University of Texas at El Paso - $2,728,234.00 The Collective Impact of Tobacco Control

To serve as the backbone organization for the initiative and provide leadership, coordination and capacity building efforts, technical assistance, and research-based media development to support a successful A Smoke Free Paso del Norte initiative.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston - $153,238.80 Longitudinal Evaluation of Teens Against Tobacco Use

To implement three tobacco control youth coalitions in the El Paso Independent School District and train the youth to deliver Teens Against Tobacco Use lessons to their younger peers and conduct advocacy activities in El Paso, Texas.

For more information on these grants, call Jana Renner at 915-544-7636 or jrenner@pdnhf.org.