Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research and Smoke-Free Families National Dissemination Office

1
Measuring Progress Towards National Partnership
Benchmarks Process Evaluation Results
Leah Ranney, PhD, Cathy Melvin, PhD, MPH, and
Catherine Rohweder, DrPH
Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services
Research and Smoke-Free Families National
Dissemination Office University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Background We evaluated the collaborative
efforts and methods used by the National
Partnership to Help Pregnant Smokers Quit.
Launched in May 2002, the National Partnership is
a diverse coalition of over 60 leading
philanthropic, health, business and government
organizations dedicated to getting pregnant women
the help they want and the support they need to
quit smoking and stay smoke-free. The National
Partnership adopted, and is implementing, an
Action Plan to provide proven clinical and
community-based interventions to every pregnant
smoker in the United States. Representatives
from partner organizations formed six working
groups to implement evidence-based strategies to
help pregnant women quit smoking
Database Report
Results Since May 2002, forty-three partner
organizations (Partners) and 97 of their
representatives voluntarily participated on 123
conference calls and assisted in developing 44
products. On each of the conference calls, an
average of 6 Partners participated and
approximately 3 activities or strategies were
discussed. Most Partners had 1-2 members
participate on a working group. Several key
partner organizations participated on a high
number of working group calls such as the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (77 calls),
March of Dimes (66 calls), and Campaign for
Tobacco-Free Kids (39 calls). The National
Partnership benchmarks were achieved through
product development, and 10 out of 11 National
Partnership objectives were reached by the end of
2004.
Group type Outreach Call Date 2/23/2004
Orgs 5 Products 1 Call/Mtg Call
Activities 3 Objectives 1 Organizations Cen
ters for Disease Control and Prevention Abby
Rosenthal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention Carole Rivera Smoke-free Families
National Advisory Committee Dianne
Barker Association of State and Territorial
Health Officials Kristen Tertzakian Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention Karen
Siener Association of Maternal and Child Health
Programs Sara Gordon Smoke Free Families Cathy
Melvin Activities The group is looking into
providing CEUs for the state outreach calls. The
group agreed to continue to use the presentations
first and questions later format for future state
out reach calls. The group will check on the
possibility of opening the calls up to a broader
audience and the consequences of that action.
Specifically, the cost and ability of the group
to manage the calls. Objectives Met Outreach To
develop and execute a plan for helping states
implement programs and policies to address the
needs of pregnant and parenting
smokers Products The fifth teleconference call
was entitled, "Working with Healthcare Providers
To Encourage Pregnant Smokers to Quit.
Healthcare Working Group Objective
Collaborate with American Indian and Alaska
Native organizations to increase outreach,
training and intervention capacity for providers
who work within those communities.

1. Offering Help through the Health Care System
2. Using the Media Effectively
3. Harnessing Resources in Communities and Worksites
4. Capitalizing on State and Federal Funding and
   Policies
5. Promoting Research, Evaluation and Surveillance
6. Reaching out to States to Provide Technical
   Assistance

Native American Poster
Research Working Group Objective
Improve monitoring of the prevalence of smoking
and the use/provisions of proven cessation
services during pregnancy
Representatives from these working groups
identified a core set of objectives and
established benchmarks to gauge their progress.
On monthly conference calls, they develop,
implement, and support activities to move toward
their benchmarks. Using MS Access, we monitored
and recorded all communications, strategies,
actions, and products for each working group.
Data on select benchmarks illustrate the National
Partnerships progress on a range of activities
designed to increase the accessibility of
prenatal smoking cessation services, including
provider training materials and toolkits for
expanding Medicaid coverage and
communities/worksites. These documents
substantiate the progress of the National
Partnership and illustrate how partnerships
between health services and community
organizations can work to accomplish shared goals.
Funded Research Database
Media Working Group Objective
Increase awareness among pregnant smokers that
effective cessation services are available.
Ad on BabyCenter.com
Community Worksite Working Group Objective
Increase the number of employers offering health
care and cessation coverage for pregnant smokers
and assuring smoke-free workplaces.
Community Worksite Tool Kit
Methods Dates, organizations, representatives,
and minutes from the teleconferences are entered
into the database, data are extracted by various
queries and reports synthesizing data from
working group calls are generated. These allow
the National Partnership to evaluate and document
working group progress toward their benchmarks.
Policy Working Group Objective
Increase awareness among pregnant smokers that
effective cessation services are available.
Medicaid Coverage Tool Kit
State Outreach Working Group Objective
Develop and execute a plan for helping states
implement programs and policies to address the
needs of pregnant and parenting smokers
Nation-wide Technical Assistance Calls
Implications The National Partnerships progress
on a range of activities designed to increase the
accessibility of prenatal smoking cessation
services serves as a model for how partners from
health service and community organizations can
effectively work together to accomplish shared
goals.