How Public Health Efforts Lead to Resilience and Stronger Communities
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of smart public health strategies to improve health outcomes. Here are some real-world examples of public health in action and recommendations for how to move forward so that everyone is afforded an opportunity to live positive, healthy, and safe lives. [More]
Letter to Support CDC’s Mission
Our organizations have been directly involved in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) – from serving on the frontlines, to working with policymakers to make evidence-based decisions, and to collecting and sharing data. We are deeply concerned about increasing reports of resistance to evidence-based public health messages [More]
Counter Tobacco Podcast: ‘Authentic Voices’ – An Interview with Shaun Pryor (Episode 17)
This episode is the first in what we hope will be a new series called, 'Authentic Voices', where we speak with individuals in communities across the US to hear how their lived experiences and interactions in the retail environment impacted their journey with tobacco. In this episode, [More]
Research Into Action Webinar: Tobacco Minimum Floor Price Laws and Adult Smoking Prevalence
In this webinar on July 15, 2020 Dr. Shelley Golden and Derek Carr, JD discussed the effects of minimum floor price laws on tobacco use among adults. Learn how coalitions can add minimum floor price laws to their policy change arsenal. This webinar is over, but you [More]
Success Story: Florida’s Alachua County – Leading the Way on Tobacco Retailer Licensing, Tobacco 21, and Restrictions Near Schools
Counter Tools has partnered with Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Tobacco-Free Florida since 2013 to survey the retail environment and spread awareness around healthy retail, and in more recent years the work has shifted focus to passing policies. In January 2019, Alachua County implemented a local [More]
We must listen, learn, and act
The recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery are a devastating reminder that overt and institutional racism persist in our country every single day. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with cases and deaths disproportionately impacting Black Americans, has been another reminder. While we feel angry, [More]
Counter Tobacco Podcast: Tobacco-Free Pharmacies (Episode 16)
Pharmacies are licensed healthcare facilities uniquely positioned to provide healthcare services and health advice directly to community members across the US. Yet, many pharmacies still widely promote and sell tobacco products, the leading cause of preventable disease and death in this country. This episode focuses entirely on [More]
Letter to FDA on Premarket Review Disclosure
In light of the skyrocketing youth e-cigarette epidemic, and concerns that smoking and vaping may increase the risk of severe complications from COVID-19, it is more critical than ever that new tobacco products be subject to statutorily-required public health review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [More]
Success Story: Youth Empowerment and Advocacy – Reality Check’s Fight Against the Tobacco Industry
Counter Tools has partnered with Reality Check since 2015 to conduct training sessions for educating youth on tobacco and do advocacy work through rallying at the annual Altria shareholder’s meeting. Reality Check is a youth-led, adult-supported program based out of New York. Under Reality Check, youth have [More]
Counter Tobacco Podcast: Tobacco Retailer Licensing (Episode 15)
Tobacco retail licenses (TRLs) are one of the most lasting and effective strategies in tobacco control. In addition to letting states and localities know who is selling tobacco, licensing is an evidence-based way to reduce tobacco use; it also offers a versatile regulatory platform that allows jurisdictions [More]
Place Matters for our Health, and Tobacco Retailers Play a Significant Part
Over the last few years, several corporate-owned chains and franchise stores have made commitments to reducing youth tobacco access. Conversely, other franchises have started selling tobacco, which has increased tobacco retailer density in some regions. These changes can have a significant impact on a community's tobacco retail [More]
Collective Response to the COVID-19 Impact on African Americans
COVID-19 is exposing America’s health inequities. This unwelcomed disease vividly highlights pervasive intrinsic characteristics of American society that lead to systematic disadvantages for African Americans and other socially and economically high-risk population groups. Preliminary data from coast to coast has suddenly cast a harsh spotlight on the [More]
Using a place-based approach to meet the challenge of COVID-19 and health equity
Place has a profound impact on our health. We need to examine the root causes of health inequity and tell the stories of our community's health. Here are a couple resources that provide helpful information on equity implications of COVID-19. While the virus that causes COVID-19 does [More]
Healthy POS Webinar Series: Tobacco Ad Messaging Strategies at Point-of-Sale – A Health Equity Focused Case Study
Register for our next quarterly webinar in our Healthy POS series - May 27th at 1pm EST. Dr. Rosario of UNC Greensboro will be presenting a case study on tobacco advertising in African American communities in North Carolina. Despite evidence of disparities in exposure to tobacco retailers [More]
Announcing the Geographic Surveillance Learning Collaborative
The Geographic Health Equity Alliance, a CADCA initiative, and Counter Tools are excited to announce the inaugural Geographic Surveillance Learning Collaborative for National Tobacco Control and Comprehensive Cancer Control Programs. Collaborative Learning Objectives: Develop an understanding of how participating states across the country develop and maintain their statewide geographic surveillance systems [More]
Webinar with CADCA – Research Into Action: Why Point of Sale Matters
We're joining CADCA's Research Into Action webinar series this week on Why Point of Sale Matters. Elizabeth Gerndt, Project Director at Counter Tools, will provide evidence on how the retail environment and point of sale play a huge role in the health of our communities, looking specifically [More]
Success Story: Assessing 100% of Tobacco Retailers – Virginia’s Ground Truthing Project
We're starting a new series on our blog to share Success Stories. Our partners have achieved great successes in public health. We recognize their hard work and leadership in creating healthier communities. We hope these stories inspire your work around place-based public health. Our first success story [More]
A look at COVID-19 as a time to quit smoking
As new data is continually being published about COVID-19 risk factors, a renewed call for quitting smoking has been sounded. With all of the news and reports on COVID-19, we find ourselves thinking about our work with our partners on healthy living, and more specifically our work [More]
Counter Tobacco Podcast: The Tobacco Industry’s Targeting of Low SES Communities (Episode 14)
The tobacco industry spends over $9 billion dollars each year marketing cigarettes and smokeless tobacco in the United States. This episode dives into the ways in which the industry allocates this exorbitant amount of money to target communities of low socioeconomic status, and examines how the industry’s [More]
We’re excited to work with California!
We’re excited to announce a new partnership with California’s Department of Justice. We’ll be working with them to integrate licensing and enforcement data from multiple agencies as part of their ongoing efforts to ensure tobacco control in the retail environment. Our work will enable state and local [More]
