Orange County Tobacco Education Coalition Meeting Tuesday, July 14, 2015 and September 8, 2015

Orange County Tobacco Education Coalition Meeting

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Meeting Minutes – July 14th, 2015
Ruth Aguilar, OCHCA/Tobacco Use Prevention Program  
Jasmine Blackburn, UCI Center for Student Wellness & Health Promotion
Claire Braeburn, America On Track
Elizabeth Castellanos, American Regional Medical Center
Alejandra Cook, America On Track
Ryan Crowdis, Orange County Department of Education
Jennifer Drader, Community Service Programs
Gwen Drenick, National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
Christina Duong, Santa Ana College
Rhonda Folsom, OCHCA/Tobacco Use Prevention Program  
Anabel Garcia, OCHCA/Tobacco Use Prevention Program
Allison Ho, OCHCA/Tobacco Use Prevention Program
Jesus Lozano, California State University, Fullerton
Jonathan Lukoff, MD
Nicholas Mantilla, California State University, Fullerton
Marla McBride, Cypress Community College
Savannah Moore, National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
Hang Nguyen, Boat People SOS
Risha Parada, OCHCA/Tobacco Use Prevention Program
Erica Phung, American Heart Association
Michael Pixomatis, Orange County Sheriff’s Department
Andrea Portenier, OCHCA/Tobacco Use Prevention Program  
Laura Ross, California State University, Fullerton
Cynthia Schafer, OCHCA/Tobacco Use Prevention Program
Tash Sogg, American Cancer Society
Manal Sohail, OCHCA/Tobacco Use Prevention Program
Priyanka Taneja, California State University, Fullerton
TrangKhanh (TK) Tran, Boat People SOS
Tiffany Vong, OCHCA/Tobacco Use Prevention Program
Jim Walker, STAMP
Brooke Whitlock, National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
I. Welcome & Introductions
Quote was read out loud by Claire and members introduced themselves. “We, the People, recognize that we
have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which only asks
what’s  in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or
patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who died in their defense.” – President Barack Obama
II. NEW Academic Workgroup – Introduction & Discussion
1. Rhonda introduced the four colleges and universities present at the meeting: CSUF, UCI, Santa Ana
Community College, and Cypress College. She asked them to share their smoke‐free projects and interests.  
2. Marla from Cypress College expressed her concern on e‐cigs and the growing trend on campus.  
a. She explained that there had been several attempts at a smoke‐free campus; however, requests were
denied.  
3. Laura, Jesus and Priyanka from CSUF stated that they were the first CSU to become 100% smoke‐free,
including e‐cigs.  
a. Fresh air study
i. Accumulated data on where and when people were smoking  
ii. Resources were offered to them and they were referred to Anaheim Regional Medical Center  
iii. Conducted bi‐annual butt clean ups: went from 14,000 butts to 10,000 butts in a year
iv. Built a wall around a smoking area that was popular with students who smoke, due to its shade and
hidden location. The wall helped to minimize the smoking there.
v. Expressed their concern for international students and their tendency to not follow the smoke‐free
policy.
4. Christina from Santa Ana Community College explained that the campus is smoke‐free except for two
designated smoking areas.  
a. She is in the process of applying for a grant which she would use towards providing tobacco education
through classrooms, workshops and student groups.  
b. Eventually she aims to make the college a completely smoke‐free campus.  
5. Jasmine Blackburn from UCI Student Wellness & Health Promotion explained how membership to the
Student Task Force declined after the campus went smoke‐free because students think that all the work is
done.  
a. CYAN is coming up with a toolkit to help health educators better address smoking issues on campus.  
b. Also expressed her concern about international students and their smoking habits near school buildings.  
i. Because most international students are at UCI for only 10 weeks, they are unable to get help when
it comes to quitting.  
c. The University Extension (International Program) is considering placing trashcans near parking lots in
order to move the smoking away from residence halls and other university buildings.  
III. Agency Spotlight: Boat People SOS
1. TK and Hang explained that their nonprofit organization was put in place in order to improve the lives of the
Vietnamese population in OC and their programs are implemented throughout the community.  
a. Their goal through a CDC grant is to promote healthy work environments and to reduce chronic disease
among employees.  
b. They explained their need for resources and advice on how to approach Vietnamese men, who have a
high rate of smoking.  
i. Jim suggested appealing to emotions rather than stating logic/facts as a way to change behavior.
ii. Erica met with the Mayor of Garden Grove and he explained that the city is shifting towards a
healthy lifestyle. She also said she would help SOS get in contact with the mayor.  
iii. Andrea gave the idea of starting a “real man” campaign, which seeks help from Vietnamese women
in order to bring light to smoking cessation.  
iv. Anabel suggested providing an incentive to businesses to be smoke‐free by recognizing them
through the coalition’s smoke‐free recognition program, which was to be discussed later.
v. Claire said that the 5 Star Merchant program used to recognize tobacco retailers has been an
effective way to work with businesses and something similar could work with Vietnamese
businesses.
IV. Smoke‐free Recognition Program
1. Coalition will give awards to cities, stores, businesses or apartment complexes if they become 100% smoke‐
free.
a. Anabel suggested that we add schools and universities to the list of groups eligible for awards.
b. Cities, stores, businesses or apartment complexes may receive publicity as an incentive to become
smoke‐free.  
2. Sample certificates and sample letters will be available to view for the next meeting.
V. Chair and Vice Chair Elections
1. Nominees: Claire Braeburn, Jennifer Drader, and Jasmine Blackburn
a. New Chair: Jasmine Blackburn  
b. Vice Chair: Claire Braeburn
VI. Policy Items
1. Bill 140 was defeated.
a. It concerned the regulation of e‐cigs as a tobacco product and its ban in smoke‐free areas.  
2. Bill 151 was also defeated.
a. It suggested changing the legal age of tobacco sales to 21 years of age, instead of 18.  
3. Bill 1162
a. Medi‐Cal has to fully fund FDA cessation programs/classes
VII. Review and Approve Prior Meeting Minutes
1. Minutes were approved.
VIII. Member announcements & Requests
1. FDA has finally announced that e‐cigs are not a safe alternative to cigarettes, nor have they been proven to
be helpful in quitting smoking cigarettes.  
2. Jennifer passed around materials CSP developed for the behavioral health population.  The materials focus
on relaxation techniques and how to cope with stress.
3. Elizabeth handed out flyers for seminars hosted by ARMC all over OC.  

Meeting Agenda
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
9:45 a.m. Networking  10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Meeting

Thank you to Jonathan Lukoff for providing the refreshments in honor of David Pinsky.

9:45 – 10:00 Networking (Optional) Coalition Members
10:00 – 10:10 Welcome & Introductions Jasmine Blackburn
10:10 – 10:20 Smokefree Superstars Recognition Program Jasmine Blackburn
10:20 – 11:35 Midwest Academy Strategy Charts Claire Braeburn
Gwen Drenick

11:35 – 11:45 Policy Items Coalition Members
11:45 – 11:50 Review & Approve Prior Meeting Minutes Coalition Members
11:50 – 12:00 Member Announcements & Requests Coalition Members
12:00 noon Adjourn

The next OCTEC Meeting is Tuesday, November 10, 2015.

at the American Heart Association
4600 Campus Drive, Irvine 92617
(On the UC Irvine Campus at the corner of Campus Dr. and California Ave.)

2016 Meeting Dates: 2nd Tuesday of Odd Months
January 12
March 8
May 10 July 12
September 13
November 8
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