WIC Tobacco Intervention Training and Recognition

About the Program

Category: Personnel Management, Employment and Training (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

Internal Department of Public Health programs have daily contact with populations that have high rates of tobacco use. In particular WIC (Women, Infants and Children) clinics serve a clientele that can benefit greatly from quitting and eliminating secondhand smoke in their homes, but in Maricopa County, Arizona, WIC referrals to the state quitline (ASHLine) were minimal. The Maricopa County Department of Public Health Office of Tobacco and Chronic Disease Prevention (OTCDP) identified this need as an opportunity to better train WIC staff about the dangers of tobacco and institute a recognition program to encourage them to refer clients to tobacco cessation assistance. Through the creation and implementation of a training and recognition program, referrals from WIC clinics to ASHLine increased 421% from 2013 to 2014. The increases were widespread, with 11 of the 15 clinics dramatically increasing their referrals over that time period. WIC offices are a significant source of proactive referrals in Maricopa County, making up 88% of all referrals from the Department of Public Health.