OpportunityTitle: Tobacco Prevention and Control- Related Public Health Law Technical Assistance
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: The total award ceiling for the five year project period of this FOA is $2,000,000. CDC will consider any application requesting an award higher than this amount as non- responsive and it will receive no further review.In addition to the above list, public health law centers are eligible for this FOA. It is essential that the potential awardee a) has deep institutional knowledge specific to current and historical U.S. tobacco control issues, b) is an experienced national organization with capacity to work at the national level in tobacco control technical assistance, and c) that the awardee&amp;rsquo;s mission is consistent with the objectives of this FOA and in line with CDC&amp;rsquo;s public health mission.
Description: Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States (1). Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke causes more than 480,000 deaths each year (1). In addition, smoking costs the U.S. more than $300 billion in direct medical expenses and lost productivity due to premature death and secondhand smoke exposure (1, 2).Despite dramatic reductions in smoking prevalence since the first Surgeon General&#8217;s Report on the topic in 1964 an estimated 42.1 million adults in the United States currently smoke cigarettes (1). Over 2,000 youth and young adults transition from occasional smoking to regular smoking every day, and the Surgeon General has predicted that if this trend persists, 5.6 million of today&#8217;s Americans younger than 18 years old will die prematurely from a smoking-related illness (1).The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the lead federal agency for tobacco control. CDC&#8217;s Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) provides national leadership for a comprehensive, broad-based approach to reducing tobacco use. OSH provides funding and support through the National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP) to comprehensive tobacco prevention and control programs in 50 states, the District of Columbia (D.C.), 8 U.S. territories/jurisdictions, and 6 national networks. The goals of OSH and the NTCP are to use evidence-based policies, interventions and systems changes to: Prevent initiation Eliminate secondhand smoke exposure Promote cessation Identify and eliminate tobacco-related disparitiesEssential elements of this approach include: state-based, community-based, and health system-based interventions; cessation services; counter-marketing; program development and implementation; research; surveillance; and evaluation (2). These activities target groups that are at highest risk for tobacco-related health problems. OSH accomplishes these goals by expanding the science base of tobacco control; building capacity to conduct tobacco control programs; communicating information to constituents and the public; and facilitating concerted action with and among partners.Law is a tool for protecting and promoting the health of the public (3). Public health law examines the authority of the government at various jurisdictional levels to improve the health of the general population (3). Public health law has been critical in serving as a foundation for governmental public health activities. Evidence-based tobacco prevention and control interventions include policy interventions, thus there is a need for technical assistance to further the understanding of the public health law framework. An example of an evidence-based tobacco prevention and control policy recommended by the U.S. Surgeon General, CDC, and international experts is comprehensive smokefree policies (1,2).As NTCP funded and non-funded partners identify, develop, and adopt and implement evidence-based interventions and policies, an awareness of public health law can inform these policies. Many NTCP funded and non-funded partners are using new approaches to reduce tobacco initiation and encourage cessation. These new initiatives, as well as other tobacco prevention and control work, often require a good understanding of public health law, underpinned by expert research and analysis. In addition, recent scientific evidence reveals critical shifts in tobacco products, epidemiology, use, and public perceptions, indicating the need for technical assistance in this area (1).Often, the nuances of the work mean that lay people, or even tobacco control experts, simply do not have the knowledge or skills to provide this type of technical assistance. The skilled technical assistance required by NTCP funded and non-funded partners is outside the scope of what CDC OSH has the capacity to provide.This project continues to support CDC&#8217;s comprehensive approach to tobacco prevention and control, while ensuring NTCP funded and non-funded partners have access to technical assistance as needed. The awardee will provide technical assistance, consultation and training to NTCP funded and non-funded partners on issues concerning the landscape around the identification, development, and implementation of evidence-based interventions and policies. The awardee will also regularly communicate with OSH so that OSH can increase awareness of the importance of such issues. Technical assistance and consultation will consist of research and analysis of public health law questions related to tobacco control policies and interventions, identification of public health law priorities, comparative analyses across jurisdictions, as well as educating on the foundations of tobacco control law. The results of these activities will also be disseminated to tobacco prevention and control field to inform and educate public health professionals.It is noted that awardees are prohibited from using CDC funds for impermissible lobbying (See Section 19 of the FOA for further information). Further, the awardee will not be giving legal advice or creating and attorney/client relationship with NTCP funded or non-funded partners that they are providing technical assistance to using CDC funds. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking&#8212;50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public Health Law Program. http://www2a.cdc.gov/phlp/. Accessed September 17, 2015.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Grants Policy
GrantorContactText: Sarah Edwards &lt;br/&gt;wbq0@cdc.gov &lt;br/&gt;
CloseDateExplanation: Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.