Celebrating a Year of Tobacco Prevention Progress in West Virginia

The West Virginia African-American Tobacco Prevention Network opened its July 25, 2026 meeting by recognizing the churches, community leaders, health partners and volunteers who have continued working to reduce tobacco use across West Virginia. The presentation reviews the network’s accomplishments from the previous year and shows how local education and tobacco cessation programs are producing measurable results.

Network churches conducted 24 tobacco education workshops that reached 324 participants. Participants reported stronger understanding of the West Virginia Tobacco Quitline, secondhand smoke, tobacco marketing directed toward African American communities and the health effects of tobacco use. The network also conducted 25 quit-tobacco workshops for 234 participants, many of whom had used tobacco for more than five years or had previously attempted to quit.

The presentation also recognizes the network’s No Menthol Sunday activities and the continued commitment of participating congregations. Special appreciation is given to Rhonda Robinson for coordinating the network’s meetings, programs and community outreach. This annual recap demonstrates what churches and community organizations can accomplish when they work together to prevent tobacco use and support people who are ready to quit.