What was the hardest part about getting a smoking cessation program going?
TF: We really have the benefit of hindsight now, from all the agencies we’ve taken the program to since. But the barrier that any agency will face — and there are more that will be agency-specific — is their stage of readiness. If an agency has done a lot of staff development, if there’s good buy-in from the administration, with resources for training and staff time allotted, if they’re already running psycho-social group programs — all those things put them in a better position. But all those things can be developed. I think the biggest barrier is just developing the buy-in. The feedback we receive is that, once an agency has the tools and training, staff members are really able to roll out services and get something going. It’s about developing readiness. Q: What should agencies expect trying to develop that buy-in? TF: Agencies always need to anticipate resistance. If it was easy, if there were no barriers, well, every clinic and center would already be doing it. There has to be rec
