Participants at the American Cancer Society tobacco control workshop held prior to the 2nd SRNT – IAHF Latin American Conference on Tobacco Control in Mexico City.
The American Cancer Society held a workshop October 13-14 in Mexico City for 15 Latin American tobacco control advocates who have attended previous training programs provided by the Society. The workshop, titled Building and Sustaining Relationships with Companies for Smoke-free Success, was held in conjunction with the second Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) – InterAmerican Heart Foundation (IAHF) Latin American Conference on Tobacco Control. This workshop served as a follow-up to the American Cancer Society University (ACSU) training program held in August 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts, where the topic of smoke-free worksites was introduced. At the October workshop, participants shared their experiences with smoke-free worksites since the 2008 training. It was standing room only at the October event as the participants were joined by 11 speakers who were previously scheduled to speak, as well as 14 special guests, from the Mexican Ministry of Health, companies, and other organizations, who asked to join in because of their interest in the subject. Speakers included representatives from nongovernmental organizations in Latin America, the Mexican Ministry of Health, the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico (INSP), the Mexican Institute for Family and Population Research (IMIFAP), and multi-national companies, including DuPont, GE, and Pfizer. In lively discussions with the participants, all of the speakers shared useful resources that the participants can use in their ongoing engagement with companies in Latin America. Those speakers representing companies presented their organizations’ perspectives toward – and initiatives around – workplace wellness.