ADHA Wins Grant for National Smoking Cessation Initiative

Chicago–December 17, 2003–The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) is pleased to announce it has received a one year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Smoking Cessation Leadership Center at the University of California, San Francisco. The $70,000 grant will be used to launch a nationwide campaign to promote smoking cessation through the efforts of registered dental hygienists across the U.S.

“We’re particularly excited about this grant, as it will help reinforce ADHA’s existing Tobacco Cessation Task Force efforts, messages and strategies,” said Tammi O. Byrd, RDH, ADHA president. “Dental Hygienists have the unique opportunity and responsibility to improve health and save lives by educating patients about tobacco and smoking cessation.”

The nationwide campaign, called the ADHA Smoking Cessation Initiative (SCI), will feature two main elements. The first element, an awareness program for dental hygienists, will feature “Ask. Advise. Refer.,” a motivating educational program for dental hygienists to use with their patients who smoke.

Additionally, the ADHA SCI will develop a Web site and fact sheets for dental hygienists, a quitline resource list, information packets for ADHA members and dental hygiene industry leaders, and education curriculum.

The second element involves building a community of dental hygienists to encourage peer discussions on how to promote smoking cessation with patients through individual counseling and larger patient awareness programs.

ADHA recently charged its state constituent organizations to designate one SCI liaison in each of its districts to spearhead efforts within the states. Through the efforts of a full-time ADHA-appointed SCI coordinator, the network of SCI liaisons will reinforce campaign elements with local dental hygienists. The ADHA SCI coordinator will manage the dissemination of information to and from the network of SCI liaisons. ADHA hopes this network will foster discussions on how to integrate successful programs, as well as share ideas and lessons learned

The ADHA SCI Web site will be launched in the coming months and will feature resources for dental hygienists and educators with regard to smoking cessation, quitline referral information and “Ask. Advise. Refer.”

Dental hygienists or consumers interested in receiving additional information should contact Natalie Nikolich, ADHA SCI coordinator, at 312-440-8920 or natalien@adha.net.

ADHA is the largest national organization representing the professional interests of the more than 120,000 dental hygienists across the country.

Dental hygienists are preventive oral health professionals, licensed in dental hygiene, who provide educational, clinical and therapeutic services that support total health through the promotion of optimal oral health.

For more information about ADHA, dental hygiene or the link between oral health and general health, visit ADHA at http://www.adha.org.

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Editor’s Note: Tammi O. Byrd, RDH, ADHA president, is available for interviews on smoking and tobacco cessation, as well as a wealth of oral health topics. Please contact Pam Anton at 312-440-8943 or media@adha.net to schedule an interview. Check ADHA’s Press Room for press releases, fact sheets and backgrounders: http://www.adha.org/media/index.html.