COMMUNITY HEALTH

The Community Prevention Programs deals with tobacco use in two ways.

1. Tobacco Education educates on a variety of topics including health risks associated with e-cigarettes and vaping use, tobacco prevention and tobacco cessation via Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH). This education aims to combat social norms about tobacco use and marketing as well as to promote policies to mandate change. In 2025, Tobacco Prevention Coordinator Harold Jones conducted 30 community presentations, reaching 1,446 community members. These presentations included local churches, Boys & Girls Clubs, Mobile Parks and Recreation, and local community festivals.
2. Students Working Against Tobacco (S.W.A.T.) is a nationally recognized, independent state-to-state program whose goal is to educate and empower students against the targeting of youth by tobacco companies. Selected students from four area high schools are recruited by school sponsors and chosen to serve as peer tobacco educators to younger students in grades four through eight. As of the 2024-2025 school year, S.W.A.T. teams are operated in three high schools: Alma Bryant, Mary G. Montgomery, and Lillie B. Williamson. During the 2024-2025 funding period, the program delivered 274 presentations across 31 public schools (10 elementary, 13 middle, and 7 high schools and 1 college, reaching 13,890 students. 

For more information about Tobacco Education or the S.W.A.T. program, contact Harold Jones at 251-544-2064 or hjones@mchd.org.

The Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Program was established to identify critical community strengths and weaknesses, as well as unique health and social issues, associated with poor outcomes of pregnancy. The program is a community-based statewide initiative designed to enhance the health and well-being of women, infants, and families through the review of deidentified cases of fetal (stillbirth) and infant deaths, and voluntary maternal interviews. The Mobile County FIMR Program, the Alabama Baby Coalition (ABC), began in 1998. The Case Review Team (CRT) is a multidisciplinary team consisting of a broad range of professional organizations and public and private agencies that provide services and resources for women, infants, and families. The team reviews case summaries, identifies issues and makes recommendations for community change. The Community Action Team (CAT) consists of a diverse group of community leaders who are in a position to direct change at the community level. The team reviews the CRT recommendations, prioritizes identified issues, then designs and implements interventions to improve service systems and resources. The coordinator is assigned new cases from the Alabama Department of Public Health’s Perinatal Health director, quarterly communication on program status and documentation, attendance in webinars and virtual conference on infant mortality. The new Mobile County FIMR Coordinator has been working diligently since 2023 to implement recommended changes and educate the community through these meetings as well outreaches, providing info to local providers, welcoming USA medical students and residents to participate in the meetings and maternal interviews to allow moms to tell their story.