Tobacco Cessation Clinic Enhancement Program
Training and resources for clinic staff and physicians to improve tobacco cessation services for patients.
Overview
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center created the Tobacco Cessation Clinic Enhancement Program (TCCEP) to help health clinics that serve underinsured and underserved patients create a tobacco-free culture on their campuses. TCCEP employs best practices and intervention strategies that reflect one of the three evidence-based actions of policy, education, and cessation services.
The UT Austin Center for Health Communication supports TCCEP in an ongoing partnership that includes these main health communication activities:
- Policy: Health clinics adopt, implement, and enforce a campus-wide tobacco-free policy, including clear signage.
- Education: Create support materials to help train a clinic champion to become a Tobacco Treatment Specialist.
- Cessation Services: Create outreach materials to provide information on Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
Expertise
- Establish a visual communication system for a new program
- Communication technical assistance and support
- Materials customization
- Interior and exterior signage design
- Social media post content and graphics
Timeline
YEAR 1 (2021)
- Developed TCCEP branding
- Created indoor and outdoor signage to support clinics/campuses in communicating a tobacco-free policy
- Started development of an online toolkit to support clinician screening and referral
- Provided communication support for Harris Health
YEAR 2 (2022)
- Developed TCCEP-branded visual elements for use in an online toolkit
- Developed multiple materials for the online toolkit provided to partner clinics
- Provided communication support for Chambers Health
YEAR 3 (2023)
- Finalized online toolkit materials
- Continued communication support for Chambers Health
- Provided communication support for the Montrose Center
YEAR 4 (2024)
- Updated and further customized materials for clinical partners
- Added in sustainability efforts to aid in clinic offboarding
Approach
TCCEP is a comprehensive program designed to help Texas clinics improve tobacco treatment services for their patients through a systems-level change approach. The program:
- Ensures clinics have a tobacco-free policy
- Provides prevention education
- Helps clinics provide evidence-based tobacco treatment services to the communities they serve
To support these areas, the CHC collaborated with TCCEP to develop a comprehensive health communication toolkit for partner clinics. The toolkit includes documents designed to guide clinic champions, clinic staff, and clinicians, as well as to educate patients. Additionally, the CHC provides communication support to partner clinics by creating:
- Clinic-branded interior and exterior signage
- Branded promotional items
- Administrative communication materials
- Social media graphics and post content
Materials are designed to increase the adoption of the TCCEP program and increase cessation screening in under- and low-resourced healthcare clinics.
Materials
Impact
Success for this project is measured by the number of custom communication support services provided for partner clinics, as well as the development and maintenance of the TCCEP toolkits.
10
toolkit resources created
4
clinics supported
11
material customizations implemented