News and Events
Learn About the Mission of the Tobacco Free Partnership of DeSoto County!
The Mission of the Tobacco Free Partnership (TFP) of DeSoto County is to protect our community from the dangers of inhaled nicotine products and secondhand smoke exposure through evidence-based tobacco prevention and cessation strategies with an emphasis on youth and other disparate populations. Our work is guided by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs, as mandated by the Florida Constitution.
Best Practices of prevention strategies include preventing initiation of tobacco use among youth and young adults, promoting quit attempts among adults and youth, eliminating secondhand smoke exposure, and identifying and eliminating tobacco-related disparities among certain populations.
Key in achieving this is our local Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) groups. Group of youth meet regularly to mobilize their peers and deglamorize Big-Tobacco. DeSoto County has four SWAT clubs who are actively engaged in local events including but not limited to conducting recruitment activities, celebrating national tobacco holidays, and gaining exposure in our community by presenting to decision makers, such as DeSoto County Board of County Commissioners and DeSoto County School Board. In addition, youth have participated in local chamber events such as the Christmas parade and Christmas Card Lane to raise awareness and recruit more youth members.
Our newsletter outlines some of the work our youth and our Tobacco Free Partnership does in our community and is aligned with CDC Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program. For more information on CDC Best Practices, visit https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/stateandcommunity/guides/index.htm
