The 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) resulted in a singular and unanticipated revenue stream flowing to state governments from U.S. tobacco companies. In response, public health leaders were challenged with an opportunity to secure funding for much needed health programs. However, state leaders have chosen to utilize these new funds for a wide variety of purposes; in many instances, expenditures totally unrelated to health or health care. In contrast, Arkansas is unique among all states in choosing to utilize MSA funds solely to establish new health-related programs. Examination of the educational and developmental process through which Arkansas designed its expenditure plan, secured political support, and initiated new health programs in a time of budgetary constraints will inform public health officials to more effectively engage policy makers at local, state, and federal levels.
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2.
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3.
Arkansas Secretary of State. (2000). State of Arkansas certification report 2000—general. Retrieved June 16, 2003, from www.arelections.org/2000/
4.
Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Commission. (2003). Community grant program. Retrieved January 13, 2003, from www.artobaccosettlement.org/recipients.htm
5.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2003). Show us the money: An update of the states’ allocation of the tobacco settlement dollars. Retrieved June 16, 2003, from www.tobaccofreekids.com/reports/settlements
6.
Census State Data Center, Institute for Economic Advancement, College of Business Administration, University of Arkansas at Little Rock. (2003). State rankings, census 2000, population change 1990-2000, median age 2000, and percent 65 and over. Retrieved June 16, 2003, from www.aiea.ualr.edu/census/data/census2000/Ranking/PopRankSt1.htm
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1999). Best practices for comprehensive tobacco control programs. Atlanta GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health.
8.
Garrett, R. (2003, July 23). CHART program tests waters.Fort Smith Times Record. Retrieved October 21, 2003, from www.swtimes.com/archive/2003/July/13/insight/CHARTProg.html
9.
Gross, C., Soffer, B., Bach, P., Rajkumar, R., & Forman, H. (2002). State expenditures for tobacco-control programs and the tobacco settlement. New England Journal of Medicine, 347, 1080-1086.
10.
Kessler, D., & Myers, M. (2001). Beyond the tobacco settlement. New England Journal of Medicine, 345, 535-537.
Rajkumar, R. (2001). New directions in tobacco control. Journal of the American Medical Association, 286, 2732-2732.
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Roddy, C., & Bruce, T. (2002, November). Growing a new public health college from tobacco seeds. Paper presented to the 130th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Retrieved October 21, 2003, from http://apha.confex.com/apha/130am/techprogram/paper_39483.htm
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Schroeder, S. (2002). Conflicting dispatches from the tobacco wars. New England Journal of Medicine, 347, 1106-1108.
15.
Thompson, J., & Arkansas Center for Health Improvement Health Policy Board. (1999). Position paper on spending the tobacco settlement funds in Arkansas. Retrieved June 16, 2003, from www.achi.net/TobaccoPaper0299.pdf
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Thompson, J., Wilson, I., & Huckabee, M. (2003). State expenditures for tobacco-control programs and the tobacco settlement. New England Journal of Medicine, 348, 663-664.
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2002 Arkansas Health Insurance Roundtable Report: Health Insurance Status of Arkansans. (2002). Retrieved on October 30, 2003, from www.achi.net.
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1998). Behavioral risk factor surveillance system. Retrieved June 16, 2003, from www.cdc.gov.brfss/
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2002). State highlights 2002. Retrieved June 16, 2003, from www.cdc.gov/Tobacco/statehi/statehi_2002.htm
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Healthcare. (2003). Medically underserved areas / medically underserved populations. Retrieved October 30, 2003, from http://bphc.hrsa.gov/databases/newmua/
21.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Cardiovascular Health State Program. (2003). State rankings of stroke mortality. Retrieved June 16, 2003, from www.cdc.cvh/maps/strokeatlas/07-append-a-htm
22.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health. (1996). State tobacco control highlights 1996. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health.
23.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Public Health. (2003). About the school section. Retrieved October 23, 2003, from www.uams.edu/coph/default.htm
24.
Walker v. Priest, 342 Ark. 110, 29 SW 3d 657 (2000). Retrieved October 23, 2003, from http://courts.state.ar.us/opinions/200b/20001018sc/00-1037.html
