TPC provides grant funding to Health Ed Pros (HEP) to manage Breathe at a statewide level. HEP is a local health education company that provides customized programming for students, teachers, parents, and staff on a variety of health topics. The HEP team has a wealth of health education experience in curriculum development, staff development, and program delivery for early childhood through adults.
Health Ed Pros is responsible for the following deliverables during the 2025-2027 grant cycle related to the Tobacco Free Families Indicator/Breathe:
Priority Area: Protect and maintain a state and local infrastructure necessary to lower commercial tobacco use rates.
Tobacco-Free Families – Increase proportion of organizations serving populations most impacted by tobacco with the Breathe: Healthy Steps to Living Tobacco Free (Breathe) education program.
As a statewide partner, HEP will implement the Breathe program and support efforts of the local community partners by completing the following five deliverables:
Objective 1: Provide training and technical assistance on the Breathe program for the local Tobacco Prevention and Cessation (TPC) funded partners that select the Tobacco-Free Families indicator. Assistance will include annual in-person/virtual Train-the-Trainer sessions, an online instructional guide, webinars/conference calls, regional workshops, updates on SharePoint, processing of Breathe kits, evaluation reports, a private Facebook group, email communications, and individual consultations, as needed.
Objective 2: Provide training and on-going support to implement Breathe in a minimum of 8 Head Start or Early Head Start programs/agencies in areas not funded by TPC or in counties that did not select the Tobacco-Free Families indicator. Activities will include holding introductory meetings, conducting annual Breathe staff trainings and associated evaluation, sending monthly newsletters, engaging on social media, offering support related to their tobacco policies, promoting Quit Now Indiana, and serving on relevant committees, when possible.
Objective 3: Provide training and on-going support to implement Breathe with at least 3 other county/regional/state-level partner organizations serving families most affected by tobacco (in areas not funded by TPC or in counties that did not select the Tobacco-Free Families indicator). Activities will include holding introductory meetings, conducting annual Breathe staff trainings and associated evaluation, sending monthly newsletters, engaging on social media, offering support related to their tobacco policies, and promoting Quit Now Indiana.
Objective 4: • Develop, assess, and continually improve all Breathe educational resources and training materials for the successful implementation of the program. Key resources will include the physical and online Breathe Kit components, promotional materials, website/online instructional guide, training PowerPoints, evaluation tools, data reports, and monthly electronic newsletters.
Objective 5: • Serve as a liaison between TPC and the Indiana Head Start Association/Head Start State Collaboration Office through in-person/virtual meetings, securing a letter of support for the Breathe program, serving as an official IHSA Community Partner member, providing social media posts, participating in their annual conference, sending monthly electronic newsletters, and coordinating efforts to promote Breathe to their affiliate sites and/or partner organizations.
The Health Ed Pros Team
Tanya Shelburne, MPH, CHES
Consultant/Project Manager
tanyas@healthedpros.org
317-902-4505
Alison Muckerheide, MPH, CHES
Consultant/Project Specialist
alisonm@healthedpros.org
Brian K. Lucas, MS, MCHES
Lead Agency Supervisor and Co-Owner of Health Ed Pros
brianl@healthedpros.org
TPC Funded Partners are encouraged to join the private Facebook group for Breathe to share ideas and challenges and gain additional support. Request to join here.
TPC Funded Partners and partner organizations can also sign up to receive the Breathe monthly e-newsletter here.
