The Result?
The vote to increase the buying age of tobacco from 18 to 21 overwhelmingly passed in Albany.
“We made it work in two days,” says Armstrong-Helton.
The Work Continues
Trinity Health is working to push through similar legislation in multiple ministries across the country, including in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Boise, Idaho, and several other locations.
For the Tobacco 21 campaign, they’re taking a strategic grassroots approach at state, city, and county level, where local lawmakers get to decide the buying age for services and products.
“We’re seeing a lot of fervent activity at the state and county level mostly, but in some cases in the cities too,” says Armstrong-Helton.
“We’re focusing on the states where we actually have ministries. Our overall goal would be that Tobacco 21 is enacted across the country. This is not something that’s likely to go to a federal level, although it does get federal level interest.”
Trinity Health has also had major campaigns in New Jersey, Michigan, and Illinois with the city of Chicago, implementing a Tobacco 21 law within the city limits.
After the University of Michigan passed Tobacco 21 on its campuses, Trinity Health supported St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor, with another eAdvocacy campaign to pass a citywide ordinance – banning the sale of tobacco to those under age 21 – within the city limits in August 2016.
In New Jersey, the legislation got all the way past both houses before being pocket vetoed by Governor Chris Christie.
Stemming from their ministries in those communities, and publicly supported by their national entity, Trinity Health’s drilled down grassroots approach is working – one local legislature at a time.
“Driving engagement at the local level, in the same way, can be a challenge,” says Armstrong-Helton of the national policy approach. “But, through our ministries in those communities, we get access to that grassroots level of support.”
At the national level, Trinity Health has a robust advocacy opt-in program called Take Action Advocates, totaling nearly 5, 000 advocates that they call upon for federal issues.
But for initiatives like Tobacco 21 they’ve recognized that generating change at the local level depends on using grassroots in the neighborhood.
“It’s a long slog. But we have several ministries across the country and we’re developing a best-practice approach for success along the way.”