Please join the National Health Care for the Homeless Council for a four-session Learning Collaborative (LC) on smoking cessation for people experiencing homelessness. Areas of focus include common challenges to quitting smoking; the brief intervention, referral to treatment (SBIRT) approach; and an exploration of how patient and community education specialists may increase access to smoking cessation treatment.
The LC will consist of lecture-based and interactive learning experiences and is open to all health center staff and consumers. We are particularly interested in the role of patient and community education specialists (Community Health Workers, Outreach Workers, Peer Support Specialists, Patient Navigators, etc.) in implementing tobacco use interventions, so folks in these roles are highly encouraged to register.
What can you expect from the learning collaborative?
- An interactive and casual environment in which participants are encouraged to share their experiences and learn from one another.
- A variety of subject matter experts will guide the training, present information, and give their valuable feedback and input in response to questions.
What can you expect to gain from this experience?
- The ability to identify and understand the unique considerations of people experiencing homelessness when screening for tobacco use and referring for tobacco cessation treatment.
- The ability to identify at least three (3) strategies to effectively engage people experiencing homelessness in tobacco use cessation intervention and treatment.
- Knowledge of the screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) approach.
- An understanding of why it is important to prioritize conversation about tobacco cessation, including the value of screening, options for brief intervention, and how to make a referral.
Session Dates & Times
The four LC sessions will occur every other week starting March 13.
Session 1 – Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Time: 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Central Time
Topic 1: “Don’t Neglect Tobacco Use in People Experiencing Homelessness.” Led by Dr. Maya Vijayaraghavan, MD, MAS, discussion will cover the state of tobacco use among people experiencing homelessness, the case for widespread access to tobacco treatment, and integration of tobacco cessation conversations into clinical and community settings.
Session 2 – Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Time: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Central Time
Topic 2: Jim Winkle, MPH, has trained hundreds of medical and behavioral health providers how to discuss substance use with patients. Jim manages the SBIRT Oregon website, and will describe how the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) process applies to people experiencing homelessness who use tobacco.
Session 3 – Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Time: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Central Time
Topic 3: Meet Paul Tunison, an expert in translating personal experiences into meaningful service systems change. Paul will share parts of his journey with homelessness and quitting smoking. From his stories, we will learn about some considerations people experiencing homelessness face when quitting smoking as well as about ways providers can engage in helpful conversations about smoking cessation.
Session 4 – Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Time: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Central Time
Topic 4: This activities-based session will focus on the challenges people experiencing homelessness commonly face when quitting smoking and troubleshoot ways to integrate tobacco cessation conversations into workflows. Additionally, we will explore how patient and community education specialists could increase access to tobacco treatment.
Register Now
Please complete the form below by March 6 to register for the Learning Collaborative.
