Tobacco Technical Assistance
& Training

FOR people doing the work

BY people doing the work.

ABOUT US

Founded in 1973, the Association For Nonsmokers-Minnesota (ANSR) is a state and national leader in tobacco control. We have pioneered cutting-edge policies and approaches for dealing with point-of-sale, clean air, smoke-free housing and tobacco pricing, including tax and minimum pricing. We provide technical assistance to community groups, state and local health departments, federal agencies and foundations to help them do what they do even better.

WHY US

ANSR’s boots-on-the-ground experience and commitment to best practices prepares us to assist tobacco programs at all levels of need and expertise. From rural health departments in areas with little history of tobacco regulation to specific community groups that want to incorporate tobacco policies into their programs in culturally appropriate ways to teen after-school clubs that would like to promote healthy community norms to providing support to staff and residents of multi-unit housing, we’ve done it.

ANSR listens to your needs! We will help you accomplish your goals whether you’re taking your first steps toward educating your community about the harms of tobacco, working on smoke-free multi-unit housing or working on cutting-edge point-of-sale policies. We tailor our services to meet your needs and can customize a contract for you from our wide menu of services.

Technical Assistance Project Highlight: Clean Air for All

ANSR was awarded a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in March 2018 to support public housing agencies (PHAs) nationwide, including residents, staff, and resident service providers, with implementation of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Smoke-Free Public Housing Rule. With this grant, ANSR created Clean Air for All: The Smoke-Free Public Housing Project, a partnership between ANSR’s Live Smoke Free program and the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO). Clean Air for All provided resources, technical assistance and a variety of training opportunities to public health agencies and PHAs in all 50 states, with a focus on 13 Tobacco Nation states, where smoking rates are high and there are fewer resources to support tobacco prevention. Clean Air for All created a Smoke-Free Public Housing Compliance and Enforcement Toolkit (pictured right) that was distributed to 436 stakeholders in 34 states. ANSR can work with you to build a smoke-free housing compliance and enforcement toolkit for your state or region. Learn more here.

OUR SERVICES
  • Youth engagement
  • Readiness assessment
  • Campaign plan development
  • Coalition building & expansion
  • Community engagement
  • Special events
  • Earned, social &paid media advocacy
  • Developing & tailoring advocacy materials
  • Organizing & planning meetings with decision makers
  • Planning & carrying out public meetings
  • Policy implementation
  • Compliance & impact assessment
DELIVERY METHODS
  • Webinars
  • Conference calls
  • Workshops
  • In-person training and coaching
  • One-on-one coaching via phone or electronically
OUR AREAS OF EXPERTISE
  • Smoke-Free housing: Policy adoption and implementation in market rate and subsidized housing; compliance and enforcement strategies; resident engagement; cessation education.
  • Point-of-sale: Tobacco 21; restrictions on flavored tobacco products, including menthol; minimum pricing on cigars; restrictions on the sale of imitation tobacco products; exterior sign restrictions; cap on tobacco licenses; age of seller; distance requirements between tobacco shops.
  • Clean air policy: Smoke-free workplaces, bars and restaurants; tobacco-free parks, playgrounds, beaches, trails and fairgrounds; inclusion of e-cigarettes in smoke-free policies; tobacco free campuses (school, government, hospital).
“Working with ANSR has provided peace of mind in my role as Tobacco Prevention Coordinator.
They support me in strategizing community engagement as well as providing top-notch technical support on everything from media to preparing testifiers for a public hearing.”

Jason McCoy, MPH

Tobacco Prevention Coordinator for Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, and Wilkin Counties, MN

ANSR has developed a wide array of programs, trainings, fact sheets and campaigns focused on smoke-free housing, Tobacco 21, flavored tobacco restrictions, minimum pricing, tobacco-free campuses and a number of other tobacco control issues. See the links below for examples of our work. Please note some of the links are external.