The National Latino Tobacco Control Network (NLTCN) is an open information and support system for tobacco control and health disparities advocates and experts who want to become more effective in changing policies and social norms around tobacco control through the exchange of information and personal and institutional linkages. NLTCN produces newsletters, “action alerts,” press releases and publications highlighting trends and best practices in tobacco control, and organizes training and networking opportunities for advocates by linking state health departments, mainstream tobacco control organizations, and communities to NLTCN members who can provide technical assistance and culturally appropriate training services. Our website (www.latinotobaccocontrol.org) serves as a resource with links to repositories of tobacco control curricula, reports and other materials to help advocates do their work, including five (5) “Emerging Promising Practices” recently published by NLTCN in English and in Spanish to highlight innovative tobacco control efforts targeting Latino communities.
NLTCN is open to all who are interested in achieving health equity for communities of color and LGBT communities and people with lower socioeconomic status. In addition to providing direct technical assistance to non-profit organizations, public health agencies and other stakeholders in communities around the U.S., NLTCN staff members are responsible for managing our communications tools and services, which include our National Directory of approximately 500 professionals working on drug and health disparities issues, our listserves of more than 5,000 public health researchers, practitioners and advocates—through which we distribute announcements, publications, and other materials—and our social media platforms.
NLTCN has a cooperative agreement with the Office of Smoking and Health of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and also receives financial support from the American Legacy Foundation and the Charles Evans Foundation. In-kind support is provided by all of our Steering Committee members as well as the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Center for Tobacco Products at the Food and Drug Administration.