The vision of the Network is to help increase the capacity in every state to establish effective, sustainable, and affordable services to help tobacco users quit and stay quit.

Background

The TCLN has grown out of two multi-state collaborations over the last five years, in response to a growing need in state programs to collaborate on the development and implementation of comprehensive approaches to tobacco cessation. The first collaboration, the Pacific Center on Health and Tobacco (PCHT), brought together health care, business, state health department, tobacco advocacy coalition and quitline representatives from five western states (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington) in 2000 – 2003 to pool information, resources and strategies on statewide cessation initiatives. Funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the PCHT produced multiple reports and tools over its three year history, expanded collaboration among participating states and partners, and fostered sharing of innovations created in each state. In 2004-2005, the expertise from the PCHT was then expanded and disseminated through the subsequent Comprehensive Statewide Tobacco Cessation Leadership Project. This two-year project, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and with program support from the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, the American Legacy Foundation, the North American Quitline Consortium, the Center for Tobacco Cessation, the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, brought together cessation leadership teams from eight states (Hawaii, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin) to collaborate and provide technical support for systems and capacity development. Participants and sponsors then wanted to expand the collaboration and knowledge development nationally, resulting in the launch of the Tobacco Cessation Leadership Network (TCLN) in September 2005.

The TCLN has an eight member Advisory Committee who officially meet quarterly and make program recommendations and who contribute regularly to resource development.

State and national leaders in tobacco cessation are invited to participate in the Network by completing an application and agreeing to share knowledge, information, and resources with the other participating members of the Network.