TFLC Monthly Newsletter

We would love to see you at the next TFLC Coalition Meeting!

Date: January 22, 2026

Time: 2pm

Zoom: https://lincolnne.zoom.us/j/8249020790?omn=92655302350

It is currently planned as a virtual meeting. However, if renovations at the Health Department are concluded and we have a physical space, we will send an update on hosting an in-person/hybrid meeting.

So, be on the lookout for the calendar invite -and don't forget to RSVP!

If you weren’t able to attend the latest Tobacco Free Lancaster County Coalition meeting, no worries! You can catch up on what was discussed by reviewing the [meeting minutes] below. We appreciate everyone who continues to stay engaged and support our efforts.

Kindly join us in welcoming Boluwatife (Bolu) Aderounmu to the Tobacco Free Lancaster County Coalition as the new Public Health Educator in the Tobacco Prevention Program at the Health Department. He completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MD equivalent) at the University of Ibadan in 2021 and, recently, Master of Public Health (MPH) at Johns Hopkins University.

We are excited to see the experiences and skills he comes with build into the work of tobacco prevention and cessation that TFLC focuses on!

Last year's engagement and participation was amazing! Working with 15 organizations, we were able to distribute 100 stickers/buttons, 300 quit kits, 240 cinnamon-flavored toothpicks and toothpick dispensers, 15 yard signs, and 750 English and 300 Spanish flyers. We were also able to join TFN at the Governor's Proclamation Signing.

Participating organizations have also shared their feedback and we are already excited for Quit Tobacco Week 2026!

The most consistently valued elements were Quit Kits, flavored/cinnamon toothpicks, and printed materials that participants described as practical, discreet, and easy for organizations to distribute. We also got feedback that materials were well-suited for schools, workplaces, and agencies serving vulnerable populations.

Shout out to Norris High School for sharing the below image of their Quit Tobacco Week booth with us!

In May, TFLC participated in several community events to promote tobacco prevention and education. We tabled at the Suicide Prevention Summit, providing yard signs, light bulbs, and resources to about 100 attendees, including health and substance use providers. At the AAPI Heritage Celebration, we sponsored and tabled for approximately 1,000 attendees, promoting the Green Light Project and sharing tobacco-related health information. At the Civil Rights Conference, we connected with around 500 attendees, offering cessation materials and Green Light Project resources. We also participated in the City/County Wellness Fair, providing hundreds of employees with tobacco cessation resources and celebrating those who had quit. TFLC sponsored Marvilee's All School Graduation, where we talked to dozens of attendees about tobacco prevention and cessation. Lastly, we presented at the Indian Center’s Elder Diner, discussing both commercial and traditional tobacco and supporting quitters in the community. These events have provided valuable opportunities to engage with community members and promote nicotine-free living.

In June and July, TFLC was present at Hop SCIP, Jump and Run (interacted with nearly 400 community members), Pride (provided tobacco prevention education to over 1500 attendees at Pride at the Park and Pride in the Street), Juneteenth (interacted with more than 1200 attendees including families, individuals and youth), CenterPointe's Back to School Bash and the Nebraska Disability Pride.

Starting with UNL's Big Red Welcome in August, TFLC went into the hotter months of the year still raising providing education and resources on tobacco prevention and cessation. The Big Red Welcome was an opportunity to reach college students with interactive trivia and activities to increase their knowledge and awareness about the impacts of tobacco use on health. Toward the end of the month, we were at the National Conference on Tobacco or Health where we had panel presentations on our vape disposal project and also co-presented with TFN on GASO and media promotions in tobacco prevention.

In September, we participated in Lincoln Unites, joined several other organizations at the Latino Festival, and concluded the month with a booth (alongside TEAM and MOTAC) at the Apartments Association of Nebraska Tradeshow in Papillion.

TFLC participated in Harvest Moon, Project Connect, UNL Employee Wellness Fair, and a Women's Health Fair put together by Molina Healthcare. While some of these are annual events that TFLC has had the opportunity of being a part of over the years, some were fairly new outreach opportunities. Whether old or new, these were amazing platforms to be there for people who were looking for resources to begin, maintain, or even restart their tobacco-free lifestyle.

Legislative session begins Thursday (January 8, 2026). We will share tobacco-related updates as we get them.

Content from our TFLC Facebook page has now moved to the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department Facebook Page. We look forward to sharing and engaging with you from this platform moving forward!

The language lines have quit coaches who are native speakers of different languages so that Quitline participants do not have to utilize an interpreter to receive services. For many years, the Nebraska Tobacco Quitline has worked with the Asian Smokers’ Quitline to provide Vietnamese, Korean, Cantonese, and Mandarin language lines. Due to uncertainty with federal funding, the Asian Smokers’ Quitline will no longer be offering the Vietnamese, Korean, Cantonese, and Mandarin language lines. However, interpreters will still be available through the Nebraska Tobacco Quitline for participants who want to receive services in these languages.

Please check out these social media influencers who have partnered with Tobacco Free Nebraska to promote the Nebraska Tobacco Quitline.

• Jena Ochsner / Double O Farms
• https://www.instagram.com/jenaochsner
• https://www.facebook.com/jenaochsner
• Natalie Menichetti
• https://www.instagram.com/notednatalie
• https://www.facebook.com/notednatalie
• Noel Therese
• https://www.instagram.com/noeltherese
• Noah Young / The Shiloh Farm
• https://www.instagram.com/theshilohfarm/?hl=en

Subscribe to the Tobacco Free Nebraska newsletter, here.

Check out the Statewide and Lancaster County infographics providing the data from the tobacco retailer checks completed in 2023. We will chat more about these infographics during our next coalition meeting and as we move forward with strategic planning.