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Health System Change

These partnerships will help build the capacity of Indiana health systems to impact tobacco use, specifically supporting the integration of tobacco dependence treatment. This opportunity allows for organizations to implement systems change initiatives - sustainable, integrated solutions at the organizational level that support clinicians and health systems to address tobacco use consistently and effectively - and provide technical assistance/services targeting the following focus areas:

  1. Implementing Best Practices for Tobacco Dependence Treatment - Care Coordination
  2. Quality Improvement
  3. Utilization of Electronic Health Record (EHR) System

According to the U.S. Public Health Service Clinical Practice Guideline, Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update, systems change leads to improvements or modifications in the way health care systems operate to enhance or improve clinician interventions and to integrate tobacco into health care delivery using various strategies. Services may include:

  • Developing processes to ensure that tobacco dependence treatment, and its documentation, is fully integrated into care and sustained over time
  • Implementing quality improvement processes to enable integration of tobacco dependence treatment best practices into routine care
  • Demonstrating meaningful use of the EHR system.

Opportunity exists within the healthcare sector to explore and implement these strategies. These partnerships are expected to lay the foundation for future systems change efforts and build support and knowledge focused on systems change and quality improvement in Indiana. TPC’s vision is to replicate and share lessons learned to continue informing our work and build capacity within health systems to consistently offer best practices in treating tobacco use and dependence.


Health Systems Change Partners:

Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health

Department of Health Policy & Management
1050 Wishard Blvd, RG 5036, Indianapolis, IN, 46220
Dr. Valerie Yeager  

IU Fairbanks School of Public Health Center for Health Policy, (Evaluation Grant)
The Center for Health Policy (CHP) is located within Indiana University’s Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. The CHP is the research hub of the Department of Health Policy and Management. The CHP’s mission is to generate evidence that informs decision-making in Indiana and beyond. CHP fellows and staff conduct rigorous research and evaluation on health system performance and health policy issues, with a specific focus on: population health and analytics; substance misuse and mental health services; and public health systems and services research. The CHP is leading the evaluation of the Health Systems Change Partnership activities among the selected grantees using a mixed‐methods approach. Annual evaluation reports produced by the CHP summarize the achievements of Health Systems Change Partnership activities. Ongoing evaluation topics include obtaining and sustaining leadership support, accessing process and outcome data necessary for tracking the impact of these activities, and establishing long-term sustainability of health systems change tobacco cessation practices.

Franciscan Health - Lafayette

1701 S Creasy Ln., Lafayette, IN  47905
Beth Segal

Franciscan Health is a faith based, not-for-profit healthcare system made up of numerous hospitals and clinical sites located in Indiana and Illinois.  Franciscan Health offers a wide variety of care options to meet consumer needs from health maintenance and preventative care to emergent, acute and rehabilitation services.  The primary site for this grant is Franciscan Health Lafayette hospital, located in Tippecanoe County, Indiana.  The grant supported efforts focus on increasing staff education for evidence-based tobacco treatment, standardizing patient care interventions, increasing referrals for post-acute tobacco cessation support, and improving EMR (electronic medical record) integration.

Community Health Network

Nicotine Dependence Program
7979 North Shadeland Avenue, Suite 330, Indianapolis, IN 46250
Annette McDaniel; Allie Webb

Community Health Network is a not-for-profit health system made up of over 200 sites of care and affiliates located across central Indiana. Community Health Network includes a wide range of services including physician care, specialty and acute care hospitals, surgery centers, and home care services among others. The primary administrative site for the grant is the Community Cancer Center North, located on Indianapolis’ north side; however, grant activities are being piloted in their Anderson, Indiana location. This grant is dedicated to standardizing evidence-based tobacco use and dependence treatment throughout Community Health Network (CHNw). The overall function is to standardize care to include strategic development to foster widespread adoption for evidence-based tobacco treatment, provider education, employee-focused cessation strategies and standardize workflow in the electronic medical record (EHR) to enhance care and provide analytical feedback and outcome management.

Rethink Tobacco Indiana

535 Barnhill Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46201
Gage VanDine

Rethink Tobacco Indiana has been a TPC grantee since 2008 and is formerly known as Bringing Indiana Along.  Rethink is a statewide technical assistance partner that aims to create awareness and health systems change related to treating tobacco use and dependence in behavioral health settings. Its program focus is to reduce the prevalence of tobacco and nicotine use among persons with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or co-occurring disorders through the following free activities and resources:

  • Technical Assistance – assist behavioral health centers with integration of evidence-based tobacco treatment service
  • Policy Development – support behavioral health treatment centers with developing and implementing tobacco free grounds policies
  • Education –provide education to clinical practitioners, i.e. webinars
  • Specialized Training – provide specialized training on topics such as pharmacotherapy and e-cigarettes.
  • Resources

INAAP/Clinical Efforts Against Secondhand Smoke (CEASE) Pediatric Program

3500 Depauw Blvd Suite 1110, Indianapolis, IN 46268
Clare Burkert

The Indiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (“INAAP”) is a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focusing on issues related to the health and well-being of all Hoosier children. With over 900 pediatrician and nurse practitioner members throughout the state, INAAP strives to be the go-to resource for questions related to children’s health, as well as for issues related to the practice of pediatrics. INAAP operates the Clinical Efforts Against Secondhand Smoke (CEASE) program in 22 pediatric offices and plans to continue recruitment additional sites for the new grant cycle.


Covering Kids and Families in Indiana

1100 West 42nd Street, Ste 317, Indianapolis, IN 46268
Joe Castillo, Coordinator

Covering Kids & Families of Indiana (CKF) is a statewide non-profit organization with the vision that all Hoosiers have accessible and equitable healthcare coverage and care. CKF promotes and facilitates healthcare coverage by building coalitions that enroll, educate, and support Hoosiers and by advocating for strong and inclusive public policies. CKF has collaborative and contractual relationships with 17 not-for-profit agencies throughout the state.  Each agency employs Indiana Department of Insurance (IDOI) Certified Navigators (CKF Navigators) who perform outreach and enrollment into Indiana Health Coverage Programs (IHCP) and the Marketplace. CKF navigators are trained to Ask, Advise and Refer clients to tobacco treatment programs and provide resources to assist Hoosiers in addressing tobacco dependence.

Indiana Rural Health Association

2901 Ohio Blvd., Suite 240, Terre Haute, IN 47803
Kathy Walker, Program Coordinator

Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) is a not-for-profit corporation developed for the purpose of providing leadership to improve the health of all Indiana citizens in rural settings.  The mission of IRHA is to enhance the health and well-being of rural populations in Indiana through leadership, education, advocacy, collaboration, and resource development. IRHA implements projects and programs that are beneficial to rural healthcare providers, constituents, and the communities that they serve, including successful work with Indiana Department of Health/Tobacco Prevention and Cessation since 2010.  IRHA is providing technical assistance, training, quality improvement, and evaluation support to in the development of tobacco treatment practices in Indiana’s Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Health Clinics.