State nicotine-prevention program reports strong media reach, expands youth and tribal campaigns

Anthony Garcia, presenting on behalf of the New Mexico Unified Prevention and Cessation (NUPAC) program, told the Tobacco Settlement Revenue Oversight committee that survey and campaign data point to continued demand for cessation services and promising reach for recent public‑education work.

"Fifty‑three percent of New Mexicans who smoke were considering quitting in the next six months, and 38 percent were planning to quit in the next month," Garcia said, summarizing the program's nicotine evaluation survey and underlining the need to maintain addiction‑treatment access.

NUPAC staff reviewed enrollment and outreach metrics. For FY25, roughly 85 percent of quitline users were first‑time enrollees and 15 percent were reenrollments; subgroup data included 2 percent of enrollees who were pregnant, 44 percent with one or more chronic conditions, 45 percent with behavioral‑health conditions, 10 percent identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex or queer, and 35 percent covered by Medicaid. Garcia said MCOs began referring patients to the quitline after a June partnership went live and reported month‑to‑month referral growth.

On media performance, staff reported that Quitline 1 produced about 7,300,000 impressions and 21,000 clicks to cessation services; Quitline 2 generated roughly 34,300,000 impressions and 23,000 clicks. Garcia attributed the large rise in impressions to an awareness‑focused media buy and said campaigns were intentionally optimized toward reach rather than immediate website traffic.

"These campaigns were built more on awareness," Garcia said, explaining why high impressions did not proportionally translate into higher click‑through rates.

The presentation included youth‑focused activity: in‑school assets were placed in 104 schools with 462 displays covering an enrolled student population of almost 81,000. Online youth assets produced about 6.8 million impressions, 31,000 clicks and 819,000 completed video views, the presenter said.

Committee members pressed staff on differences in MCO referral counts (noting higher referrals from plans with larger Medicaid membership), whether the quitline tracks long‑term quit outcomes (staff said the random‑digit‑dial survey is cross‑sectional and does not follow individuals over time), and whether program dollars can be used on non‑nicotine substance interventions (staff said settlement language is generally focused on tobacco and nicotine and they would follow up on specifics). Garcia also described partnerships with RVO Health on an alternative‑to‑suspension program for students caught vaping and said tribal outreach efforts have led the Pueblo of Acoma and Pueblo of Laguna to implement voluntary multiunit housing policies.

NUPAC staff told the committee they expect approximately $5.4 million in tobacco settlement funds, $3.5 million in dual‑settlement funds and a CDC grant near $1 million for FY26, for a total program funding level of roughly $10 million. The presenter said those funds will support continued prevention, cessation, exposure‑reduction and research work, including school surveys, online surveys and focus groups to inform targeted vaping prevention.

The committee asked staff to follow up with more detailed MCO enrollment comparisons and vendor tracking of quit outcomes. Garcia said the program would return with more specifics on referral rates and the vendor's ability to track cannabis cessation requests if any exist.

The committee's next procedural item moved forward after the presentation.