For the past six years, several states have engaged in significant initiatives to promote and support sustainable changes in the healthcare system to address tobacco use.

In the spring of 2007, Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program organized the first meeting of a 7-state collaboration to share best practices and challenges in this work

The goals of the collaboration were to:

• Share in-depth state experience to promote or support sustainable changes in the healthcare system to address tobacco use
• Learn how each state has invested in health systems change, the scope of state-funded initiatives, and what has worked
• Identify barriers and facilitators to change at the state level, at the healthcare organization level and in the larger environment

Since this first meeting, 6 additional states and important national organizations have joined the Collaborative. Visit the members page to see who is part of the Collaborative.