In Brief: Lung Association Says More Progress Should Be Made On Tobacco Control; Holmes Names CHA Chair

Lung Association Says More Progress Must Be Made On Tobacco Control

Many of California's largest cities have received failing grades in their smoking cessation and tobacco containment efforts, according to the American Lung Association.

And while the number of cities and counties that have received an “A” grade from the association for their efforts have nearly doubled from, 2010, only 17 in total have received that top ranking. 

The municipalities are graded on a variety of tobacco control measures, such as whether non-smoking apartments are available in the community, and whether local pharmacies sell tobacco products.

The largest with an “A” grade, the city of Glendale in Los Angeles County, has just under 200,000 residents.

Meanwhile, 307 different municipalities containing 39% of the state's population received a failing grade, while 80 others containing 17% of the population received a “D” grade. 

However, the report did note that 80 municipalities throughout California did improve their grades year-over-year, more than double in the previous year.

Los Angeles received a “C” grade, while San Diego, the state's second-largest city, received a “D.” San Jose and San Francisco both received “Bs.” Fresno, Bakersfield and Anaheim, among the 10 largest cities in the state, all received failing grades.

The report noted that flavored tobacco has made inroads into the adolescent population, with 42.4% of high schoolers saying the have tried at least one kind of tobacco product. 

"California must take stronger action to save lives and end the scourge of tobacco related death and disease," said Olivia Diaz-Lapham, chief executive officer of the American Lung Association in California. "The single best way to do this is by increasing our low tobacco tax, which ranks 35th in the country. This will save lives and prevent our children from becoming the next generation hooked on tobacco." The current state tobacco tax is 87 cents per pack of cigarettes. There has not been a tax hike in the state for 18 years.

Holmes Named CHA Chair

The chief executive officer of Redlands Community Hospital has been named the chair of the California Hospital Association.

James Holmes has previously served as chair of the Hospital Association of Southern California and currently serves on a special task force of the Healthcare Financial Management Association for healthcare policy development.

“The implementation of the Affordable Care Act, together with private and public sector developments, are driving transformative changes that are challenging hospital leaders and other stakeholders across the state,” said CHA President C. Duane Dauner.  “Jim Holmes’ extensive leadership experience, combined with his expertise in healthcare finance, will be invaluable as he guides CHA this coming year.”

Holmes noted that “hospitals are in the process of changing themselves into being more patient-focused, cost effective health care providers and CHA is supporting this transition.”