Emily Justice, the Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) program manager at the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE), was honored for her work to prevent young people from using tobacco.
The Contra Costa Tobacco Prevention Coalition (TPC) recently named Justice the Tobacco Control Leader of the Year for her work in building relationships with schools and increasing the number of students being served by anti-tobacco programs.
TUPE provides technical assistance for comprehensive tobacco use prevention education programs, including curriculum, intervention, and youth development to schools and school districts throughout Contra Costa County. TUPE's primary focus areas are vaping prevention, since e-cigarettes (also known as vape pens) are the most popular product among young people, and the intersections between tobacco and cannabis use among young people.
“I am extremely proud of the outreach and education Emily Justice and the TUPE team have accomplished,” Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Lynn Mackey said. “Tobacco use and vaping, are real problems in this country and the work being done daily to stop children from getting hooked is vital. The team’s dedication, community partnerships, and focus on relationship building has been a recipe for success in helping to reduce nicotine addiction among the youth in Contra Costa County.”
By collaborating with students, families, and teachers, TUPE provides relevant education and curriculum to school districts that teaches students about nicotine dependence, establishing healthy alternatives, and how to move past nicotine addiction. The goal is to raise awareness to students and families about tobacco effects and nicotine addiction. Evidence-informed educational instruction and activities are utilized to train students to become TUPE ambassadors at their schools.
“Emily and the TUPE team have created meaningful relationships with schools in Contra Costa County that have significantly improved tobacco prevention efforts,” Isabelle Kirske, Senior Health Education Specialist at Contra Costa Health Services, and a member of the TPC, said. “Over the last 11 years, CCCOE’s TUPE team has doubled the number of students it serves. All of which made Emily an obvious choice for Tobacco Control Leader of the Year.”
CCCOE’s TUPE program has had a long-standing partnership with the Tobacco Prevention Coalition (TPC) in Contra Costa County, the longest running tobacco prevention coalition in the state. The county’s TPC began in 1984 as the Smoking Education Coalition, a collaborative effort between the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS). In 1989, after Proposition 99 passed, the effort was renamed the Tobacco Prevention Coalition. Today, the coalition includes more than 20 community organizations and is staffed by CCHS' Tobacco Prevention Program. Since the coalition formed, the adult smoking rate in Contra Costa County has dropped 60 percent.
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