The American Lung Association has released an updated version of their issue brief “The United States Justice-Involved Population & Tobacco Use”, developed as part of their CDC-funded cooperative agreement. This updated version reflects recent guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and provisions passed as part of the 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act this March. Both of these developments give states new opportunities to improve access to care and tobacco cessation for the justice-involved population.

Office hours will be hosted on Wednesday, May 29 and Thursday, May 30 to give a brief overview of these new opportunities and to answer any questions about the issue brief. Alex Hurst and Youlim Song from the National Behavioral Health Network will also be joining to answer questions about mental health and substance use considerations pertaining to tobacco use and justice involved populations. Please review the issue brief before attending and bring your questions, as these office hours are primarily a Q&A session.

Please reach out to Olga Bakun at Olga.Bakun@lung.org with any questions on this issue brief and the upcoming office hours.