Pioneer Valley Asthma Coalition

The Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program offers free resources that connect individuals to quit coaching, personalized quit plans, medication support, and the Massachusetts Quitline. These services are available for both tobacco users and individuals looking to quit vaping, including young adults. To help organizations promote these resources, the state provides a social media toolkit with ready-made graphics, videos, and messaging that can be incorporated into newsletters, social media campaigns, websites, and community outreach efforts. Through the Capacity Building for Racial Equity in Tobacco project, PHIWM partnered with Springfield Cultural Partnership’s Trust Transfer Project, which commissioned local artists to create posters that promote hope, wellness, and tobacco cessation through culturally relevant artwork. These posters can be downloaded and displayed to increase awareness and connect individuals with available support.  Explore the resources: Take the first step toward a nicotine-free life Quit vaping Social media toolkit Trust Transfer Project Collaboration posters

The Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts (PHIWM) is expanding its longstanding asthma prevention efforts into a regional Respiratory Health Coalition focused on reducing health inequities in the region with particular attention to Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee. Building on the success of the Pioneer Valley Asthma Coalition and Healthy Air Network, the coalition will expand to address COPD, and lung cancer as well as asthma through coordinated action on prevention, education, environmental health, access to care, and policy advocacy. By bringing together healthcare providers, community organizations, residents, employers, public health leaders, and policymakers, the coalition will advance sustainable solutions that improve respiratory health outcomes while reducing the social and economic burden of chronic lung disease. This new Respiratory Health coalition will be meeting through the fall to finalize planning on communications, education, and policy advocacy. We have recruited 10 Resident Advisors to bring community resident voices to our process. In addition, we have representatives from Baystate Health, the cities of Chicopee, Holyoke & Springfield, Caring Health Center, Hitchcock Center for the Environment, Holyoke Health Center, Nuestras Raices, ReGreen Springfield, and Revitalize CDC. To learn more about Respiratory Health efforts, please sign up for our new Respiratory Health newsletter or contact Sarita Hudson, shudson@publichealthwm.org