2015- 2016
ANNUAL REPORT
LEADING THE WAY FOR
TOBACCO-FREE ENVIRONMENTS
ACROSS MAINE
389 Congress Street, Portland, Maine 04101 | 207-874-8774 | www.BreatheEasyMaine.org
ABOUT US
The Breathe Easy Coalition of Maine is a statewide umbrella organization of the Smoke-Free
Housing Coalition of Maine, Maine Tobacco-Free Hospital Network, Maine Tobacco-Free College
Network and Maine Tobacco-Free Behavioral Health Network. BEC works to reduce exposure to
secondhand smoke through strong voluntary policies that lead to reduced tobacco use and
increased tobacco-free living throughout Maine. The BEC work is accomplished by providing
resources and technical assistance to aid policy change in these four target environments.
The efforts of the Breathe Easy Coalition are made possible through funding and support from
the Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine at the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention,
Department of Health and Human Services. Additional support for the work of BEC is made
possible through a grant from the Maine Cancer Foundation. The Breathe Easy Coalition is housed
in the City of Portland’s Public Health Division.
WELCOME
Over the past year, The Breathe Easy Coalition of Maine (BEC) has seen exciting growth, new
partnerships, policy change and successfully implemented objectives by staff and partner
agencies all helping make Maine a healthier state in which to live, work and play.
Efforts to reduce involuntary exposure to secondhand smoke could not have been achieved
without the support and participation of coalition members and partners. Over the past year
among housing, hospitals, post-secondary education, behavioral healthcare and public health
professionals, BEC has interacted with hundreds of partners across the state, all of whom share
a goal of creating healthier environments free from tobacco smoke.
As we work to achieve continued success, it is critical to build and maintain these collaborations.
We welcome new and continued connections with you and your organization to attend coalition
meetings, webinars, trainings, receive electronic newsletters, participate in programs, educate
others on the dangers of secondhand and thirdhand smoke and partner to create and sustain
policy change.
This report will provide additional information about specific initiatives, project outcomes and
message reach for 2015-2016. If you would like to learn more about the coalition please contact
us or visit www.BreatheEasyMaine.org.
Sarah Mayberry
Program Coordinator
30 email newsletters sent
to 1,409 recipients
4 social
media
outlets
25,834 hits on 4 websites
averaging 2,153 hits per month
326 new Smoke-Free Home Pledges
Total pledges since 2008 5,066
Gold
Sta
r Sta
ndard
s
of
Excellence
Hospitals
85% participation rate
Colleges
41% participation rate
8 webinars with 108
participants and
169 views of recordings
20 presentations at 18
organizations in Maine and
2 National organizations-
National Cancer Institute
American Public Health Association
Exhibited at 5 statewide
Annual Conferences
192 requests for
technical assistance across
all initiative areas.
Resulting in policy change,
implementation and enforcement.
MAINE TOBACCO-FREE HOSPITAL NETWORK
Hospitals are recognized as healthcare leaders in the community. Implementing tobacco-free campus
policies support a hospital’s existing mission and vision to provide a safe, healthy environment.
POLICY SUCCESSES 95% of all hospitals in Maine have a 100% tobacco-free campus policy.
Maine’s tobacco-free hospitals have a total of 3,699 beds.
33 of 39 hospitals were recognized in the 2015 program:
26 Gold Level
2 Silver Level
5 Bronze Level
Individual Gold Star Champions:
Donald Watson, Maine Medical Center
Todd Miner, Mount Desert Island Hospital
GOLD STAR STANDARDS
OF EXCELLENCE
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 16 requests for technical assistance from hospital representatives for tobacco-
free hospital policy adoption, implementation or enforcement assistance.
1 webinar, 12 participants and 22 views online- highlighting the case for
creating tobacco-free environments and rationale for the ten evidence-based
Gold Star Standards of Excellence.
NEWSLETTERS, WEBSITE
AND RESOURCES
6 newsletters distributed to 211 contacts.
1,760 visits to www.MaineTobaccoFreeHospitals.org website.
MTFHN Gold Star Standards of Excellence Application and Guidance Document
revised and distributed.
Thirdhand smoke factsheet revised, highlighting current research on the topic.
PRESENTATIONS
AND EXHIBITS
Presented at MaineGeneral Medical Center on the importance of
tobacco-free policies for their worksite wellness staff.
Exhibited at Maine Quality Counts Annual Conference.
www.MaineTobaccoFreeHospitals.org
POLICY SUCCESSES
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
NEWSLETTERS, WEBSITE
AND RESOURCES
PRESENTATIONS Presented at Saint Joseph’s College on tobacco-free policies and
dangers of secondhand smoke exposure.
Presented at York County Community College’s kickoff event for the
new 100% tobacco-free policy.
Presented at the University of New England on
health concerns of secondhand and thirdhand smoke.
www.MaineTobaccoFreeCollegeNetwork.org
Institutions of higher education can create a healthier environment to learn, live, work and play by adopting
tobacco-free campus policies that reduce exposure to secondhand smoke and support tobacco free lifestyles.
MAINE TOBACCO-FREE COLLEGE NETWORK
78% of all colleges/universities in Maine have a 100% smoke and tobacco-free
campus policy.
61,647 students are enrolled at Maine’s tobacco-free colleges/universities.
2 campuses announced and implemented 100% smoke and tobacco-free policies:
York County Community College and Southern Maine Community College
GOLD STAR STANDARDS
OF EXCELLENCE
11 of 27 colleges/universities were recognized in the 2016 program:
10 Gold Level
1 Silver Level
Individual Gold Star Champions:
Malinda Scannell, University of Southern Maine
Deidre Thompson, York County Community College
13 requests for technical assistance from college/university representatives for
tobacco-free campus policy adoption, implementation or enforcement assistance.
1 webinar, 18 participants and 35 views online– presenting steps for policy
change and highlighting tobacco-free campus success stories from the University
of Southern Maine and the University of New England.
6 newsletters distributed to 208 contacts.
1,128 visits to www.MaineTobaccoFreeCollegeNetwork.org website.
Smoke & Tobacco-Free Campus Toolkit revised and mailed to 97 contacts.
MTFCN infographic developed and distributed.
Smoke & Tobacco-Free Campus Case Study Portfolio created from interviews
conducted at 4 campuses across Maine.
MAINE TOBACCO-FREE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NETWORK
Behavioral health facilities can support good health and wellness for their consumers, staff and
visitors by reducing exposure to secondhand smoke and encouraging tobacco-free lifestyles through
the adoption of strong tobacco-free policies.
The pledge is a demonstration of your commitment to keeping your family
and home healthier by removing secondhand smoke.
SMOKE-FREE HOME PLEDGE
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
PRESENTATIONS
AND EXHIBITS
NEWSLETTERS
16 requests for technical assistance from behavioral health facilities for tobacco-
free policy adoption, implementation or enforcement assistance.
1 webinar, 31 participants and 21 views online– supporting behavioral health
facilities to create strong tobacco-free policies by explaining the case for
addressing tobacco in behavioral health settings and resources available to help
with policy change.
Presented at Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine/Center for Tobacco Independence-
Tobacco Treatment Conference on the role of tobacco-free policies in encouraging
tobacco quit attempts.
Presented at Maine Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Prevention Day on
lessons learned from creating tobacco-free area policies and opportunities for
collaboration when addressing tobacco and marijuana.
Presented an overview on tobacco-free environments at the Co-Occurring Collaborative
Service Maine- Integrating Tobacco Treatment in Behavioral Health Settings conference.
Exhibited at Maine Quality Counts Annual Conference.
5 newsletters distributed to 304 contacts.
www.SmokeFreeForMe.org/Pledge
326 new pledges and 5,066 total pledges since 2008. NUMBERS
Partnership with Maine Families Programs in Franklin County, Washington County and
Kennebec/Somerset Counties and MaineHealth Center for Tobacco Independence Clinical
Outreach Program.
The Facebook campaign reached 15,253 people in February 2016.
PROMOTION
www.BreatheEasyMaine.org/BehavorialHealth
RECOGNITON Smoke-free Home Pledge program featured in HealthyPeople 2020: Who's Leading the
Leading Health Indicators? series in December 2015.
SMOKE-FREE HOUSING COALITION OF MAINE
Creating smoke-free environments in multi-unit housing creates a safer, healthier environment for
residents and reduces property damage and turnover costs for property owners and managers.
POLICY SUCCESSES
MATERIALS REQUESTS
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
PRESENTATIONS
AND EXHIBITS
Presented at the National Cancer Institute’s State & Community Tobacco Control
Research Initiative on efforts addressing smoke-free policies in public housing
authorities.
Presented at American Public Health Association Annual Conference on smoke-free
housing efforts in Maine.
Presented at a Southern Maine Landlord Association monthly meeting, Lewiston/
Auburn Lead Paint Prevention Program and City of Portland Housing Safety Office
on smoke-free policies and resources available to property owners/managers.
Exhibited at Maine Real Estate Managers Association Annual Meeting, Maine Indoor
Air Quality Conference and Maine Affordable Housing Coalition Annual Conference.
More than 30% of listings on MaineHousingSearch.org are designated as smoke-
free.
The US Department of Housing & Urban Development has proposed rules to make
all public housing smoke-free. Maine is the only state in the country where all
public housing authorities have already adopted smoke-free policies.
19 requests for technical assistance from property owners/managers and tenants
for smoke-free policy adoption, implementation or enforcement assistance.
1 webinar offered 3 times, 30 total participants and 15 views online on the
case for smoke-free housing and tips to implement policy change. Multiple
presentation times were offered to accommodate varying schedules for
property owners and managers.
61 requests for decals, keychains and signage for 224 buildings with 2,269 units
throughout Maine.
NEWSLETTERS, WEBSITE
AND RESOURCES
4 newsletters distributed to 442 contacts.
8,828 visits to www.SmokeFreeForMe.org website.
Smoke-free housing postcard was mailed to
more than 12,000 property owners and
managers promoting the case for smoke-free
housing and webinar information. www.SmokeFreeForMe.org
AWARDS Secretary’s Award for Healthy Homes from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-
recognizing the ongoing smoke-free housing efforts in Maine.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND STAFF
Lance Boucher
American Lung Association of the Northeast
Linda Christie
Access Health
Dee Kerry deHaas
American Academy of Pediatrics, Maine Chapter
Kristen Dow
City of Portland Public Health
Robin Mayo
Piscataquis Public Health Council
Barbara Perry
MaineHealth Center for Tobacco Independence
Tina Pettingill
Consultant
Thank you to former Executive Committee members who
spent part of this past year with us:
Devin Rowe
Bethany Sanborn
Emma Vaillancourt
389 Congress Street, Portland, Maine 04101 | 207-874-8774 | www.BreatheEasyMaine.org
Sarah Mayberry
Program Coordinator
Meg Nadeau
Community Health Promotion Specialist
Fran Thompson
Community Health Promotion Specialist