Who We Are
Ending the tobacco epidemic in California takes coordination, not just effort. The Statewide Priority Population Coordinating Center connects the California Tobacco Prevention Program with the local projects doing the work
in communities across the state. Housed at the California Health Collaborative, Encompass CA helps state agencies, regional partners, researchers, and community organizations move in the same direction, so tobacco prevention reaches the people who need it most and no community gets left
behind.
WHO WE SERVE
Encompass CA focuses on six communities that have carried a heavier burden from tobacco, in large part because the tobacco industry spent decades targeting them directly:
- African American and Black communities
- Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities
- Latino communities
- LGBTQ+ communities
- Rural communities
- American Indian and Alaska Native communities (beginning July 2027)
WHAT THE CENTER COORDINATES
- Keeps projects informed and connected. Tracks the policy, research, and industry developments that shape tobacco prevention and keeps funded projects in the loop.
- Builds partnerships across the field. Brings together state and local program leaders, health officials, policymakers, and university researchers so the work is coordinated, not siloed.
- Sets shared advocacy priorities. Works alongside communities to name the priorities that matter most across all six populations and builds momentum behind them.
- Honors intersectionality. Recognizes that people hold overlapping identities and designs strategies that reflect the real, layered experiences within each community.
- Trains and supports local projects. Provides customized, results-driven training and technical assistance so funded projects can strengthen their prevention work.
- Grows the next generation. Opens doors for students from impacted communities through service learning, leadership, and professional development.
- Creates culturally grounded resources. Develops educational and training materials that funded projects can use and share.
- Tells the stories that move change. Captures and shares community success stories that speed up policy and systems change.
