The Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco (MPAAT) has released a new strategic plan that will guide the organization through 2007. The approach outlined and approved by the MPAAT board of directors at its April 30 meeting addresses the four pillars to effective tobacco reduction: Research to keep MPAAT efforts innovative and science-based; stop-smoking services for individuals; reduced exposure to secondhand smoke; and tailored services to populations disproportionately harmed by tobacco.

"The need for a comprehensive approach to tobacco reduction was illustrated by the findings of the recent Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey," said MPAAT board chair Jan Malcolm. "More Minnesotans are trying to quit smoking than ever before. Yet 666,000 Minnesota adults still smoke. MPAAT has focused on cessation services to meet the needs of individuals who are attempting to quit smoking. But to substantially build on that success - and help reduce the number of preventable deaths from tobacco-related disease - it must widen its approach with more comprehensive strategies."

MPAAT stresses that its work will complement - not duplicate - the work of other tobacco control groups. This approach will extend valuable resources focused on reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. MPAAT's new strategic plan identifies five strategies to guide the organization through the next three years:

1. Strengthen the efforts to reduce tobacco use in Minnesota and complement the work of others.

2. Increase availability and use of individual cessation services.

3. Support efforts in priority populations to eliminate disparities in all aspects of tobacco control.

4. Expand the knowledge and advance the use of methods to reduce tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure.

5. Support public- and private-sector policies that reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke.

"The strategic plan approved by the board ensures the continued success of our QUITPLAN(SM) stop-smoking services, recognized as one of the country's leading cessation programs for individuals," said Malcolm. "Through our services for individuals, efforts to reduce secondhand smoke, and a coordinated approach with other organizations, we will be able to reach out to more people, expanding our impact and improving the health of Minnesotans."

In early 2004, the MPAAT board of directors began its strategic planning process, which involved board members articulating the organization's vision, mission, values and business direction. MPAAT staff also contributed to the plan, working in departmental and cross-functional teams. MPAAT reports that the MPAAT Strategic Plan for 2005-2007 is rooted in accountability, and its goals are based on sound science, effective partnerships, and Ramsey County District Court directives. MPAAT is governed under a plan approved by the Ramsey County District Court in 1998 and modified in 2003.

The MPAAT board of directors is composed of 19 members, 11 of which are at-large members, eight of which are appointed by the Governor, Attorney General, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Senate Majority Leader. MPAAT is funded with 3 percent of the state's tobacco settlement.

top