What's Happening

By Communities Energized for Health, a project of ETR | April 30, 2025

Air Quality Awareness Week (AQAW) is an annual campaign created by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dedicated to encouraging people to stay aware of their air quality and incorporate air quality knowledge into their daily lives. For Communities Energized for Health (CEH), a project of ETR, this observance highlights the importance of our work in addressing secondhand smoke exposure where Californians live, work, and play.

By Khaila Thomas | March 7, 2025

As young people grow into adolescence, they’re more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as drinking alcohol while underage. Risk-taking is a normal component of adolescent development, which is why it’s up to trusted adults to have pivotal conversations that reduce the likelihood of harm and promote healthy behaviors. To prepare for conversations with a teenager about drinking alcohol, begin with these tips.

By Communities Energized for Health, a project of ETR | February 4, 2025

World Cancer Day is an international day observed every February 4^th to raise awareness about cancer, encourage its prevention, and mobilize action to address the global cancer epidemic. For Communities Energized for Health (CEH), a project of ETR, this annual observance highlights the importance of our work in addressing secondhand smoke exposure where Californians live, work, and play. Healthy environments start at home, which is why smokefree multiunit housing is vital to creating a protective space for residents to thrive away from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.

By Sadie Spargur & Ravena Soto | November 21, 2024

Annually on the third Thursday of November, the American Cancer Society recognizes the Great American Smokeout. This event is dedicated to encouraging smokers to quit smoking for one day as a start to their smokefree life while reducing their cancer-risk. Smoking causes an estimated 480,000 deaths every year and more than 16 million Americans live with a smoking-related disease. This heavily affects Native American communities since more than 1 in 4 American Indian and Alaskan Natives (AI/AN) adults smoked cigarettes in 2020—that’s 1.5 times higher than the national smoking rate.

By Ravena Soto | November 19, 2024

Staff from ETR’s Native Health and Wellness team had the honor of attending the first Native American Heritage Month parade outside of the California State Capitol. For this historic event, we were joined by our partners from United Indian Health Services and Redwood Valley Rancheria. The parade, hosted by the California Legislative Native American Caucus, came together with a sense of mission after months of planning and many miles of travel.

By Annalisa Cortez | August 29, 2024
Project Assistant, TCCC

ETR’s Tribal Community Coordinating Center provides culturally appropriate guidance and assistance to California Indian Tribes to access and implement tobacco related programs. Hear from Annalisa Cortez, Project Assistant, on her experience with youth leadership and advocacy efforts to improve Native health.

By Nasbah Ben | May 22, 2023

In honor of World No Tobacco Day 2023, ETR's Director of Tribal Projects Nasbah Ben shares reflections on the importance of tobacco education and prevention that is rooted in a health equity framework -- especially for the numerous recognized and unrecognized Tribes throughout the US.

By Yadira Friday, MPH | April 20, 2023

Earth Day, which is held every year on April 22^nd, is an observance that encourages individuals to think about the impact that they make on the larger environment. This blog will describe the impact of tobacco product waste, as well as recommendations for how to dispose of it properly.

By The ETR Team | March 10, 2023

On December 21, 2022, Proposition 31 went into effect in California, banning the sale of most flavored tobacco products. This ended a two-year referendum of senate bill 793 (SB 793) signed into law in August 2020. The passage of this law has sparked conversation across the state as the tobacco industry adapts its product lines, and residents and public health advocates work to understand what the flavor ban will look like in practice. Let’s explore key facets of the law, and how it promotes health equity and empowers local policy efforts.

By Sarah Han, MPH & Rebecca Braun, DrPH, MPH | December 14, 2022

The INSPIRE+ project empowers and collaborates with California youth to design innovative, creative, and youth-led solutions that address unhealthy substance use and promote community healing, using ETR’s Trauma-Informed Youth-Centered Health Design framework. 

By Brittny Bol, MPH, CHES | November 18, 2022

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women in the United States. Lung Cancer Awareness Month is observed in November and is a perfect time to raise awareness, learn what signs to look for, and make changes to help lower your risk.

By Rebecca Erenrich, MPH and Kristin Kennedy, MS, MPH, CPH | May 27, 2022

The United States is experiencing rising rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, fueled by the nation’s growing opioid crisis. This issue is particularly acute in Appalachia, where the increase in injection drug use led to a more than three-fold rise in new cases of hepatitis among young people between 2006 and 2012. As we close out Hepatitis Awareness Month, recognized each year in May, ETR remains committed to raising awareness, reducing stigma, and combatting the spread of HCV. As part of our fight for health equity, ETR offers science- and evidence-based resources on sexual health and safer drug use and works and maintains a portfolio of community-driven projects rooted in harm reduction, including HepConnect.