• Community Health Planning & Assessment

• Tobacco Grant

• Tobacco Stats

The Dubuque County Health Department was established in 1968. In December of 2000, a group of interested persons in Dubuque County gathered at the Area Education Association to discuss the feasibility of starting an Anti-Tobacco Coalition for Dubuque County. The group agreed that the County should proceed and the grant was submitted and received. Requests were given out to the community asking for an Agency to take on sponsorship of the Tobacco Coalition efforts. Hillcrest Family Services was approved for this effort. Since its inception, the coalition meets regularly to discuss issues relating to tobacco use in our community. As with any coalition there were growing pains as all members increased their knowledge of tobacco issues and discussed how to proceed. The majority of the work of the coalition has been:

• To speak about tobacco in the school system of Dubuque County.

• Work closely with the Dubuque Police Department to facilitate diversion classes for school students who have received a ticket for smoking on school grounds.

• Provide teachers and nurses with materials to use in education settings with kids.

• Gather materials and be present at health fairs, neighborhood gatherings and other settings where persons might congregate.

• Provide smoking cessation programming for pregnant women who wish to quit smoking.

• Provide one-to-one counseling of WIC participants who are pregnant and smoke and also educate WIC parents of the hazards of second hand smoke.

• Survey restaurants in the County for their smoking rules and make this list available to the public.

• Basically be the spokesperson for the community to foster information about tobacco and its effects in our community.

Tobacco Links