AllCare Health Creates Safe Space to Quit Tobacco

Quitting tobacco is hard for many reasons. Longtime users not only develop an intense physical addiction to nicotine, but also strong psychological habits and daily routines centered on having cigarettes or smokeless products like chewing tobacco. Whether vape, smoke, or chew, these products pose serious health risks including cancer and heart disease.

Since 2015, AllCare Health has expanded access to its Tobacco Cessation Classes to all community members across Southern Oregon. These free workshops provide a safe, supportive environment for people looking to quit tobacco, focused on identifying triggers, managing cravings, and staying motivated with group support.

You can watch testimonials from program participants by clicking the video below.

Josh Balloch, Vice President of Health Policy and Communications for AllCare, said the key is having consistent opportunities available for someone who wants to quit smoking, because that desire to quit can come and go quickly.

“If they wait a month, they might not do it. The ‘want’ to quit is so narrow,” Balloch said. “We’re building a safe space for them to create that change.”

Workshops are led by Sandra Kalista-Gonzales, Member Wellness Coordinator for AllCare. In-person classes for 2026 are scheduled in Grants Pass, Medford, Brookings, and Cave Junction, as well as online. The program was initially reserved for AllCare members, though Balloch said they have since opened enrollment to anyone using funding from the organization’s Community Benefit Initiative.

It is just one example of how CCOs are making a difference statewide by investing in preventive care, lowering costs while improving long-term health outcomes, Balloch said.

“This is the type of preventive, community-based care that CCOs are really meant to help facilitate,” he said. “In this case, we have a higher rate of smoking than most of the rest of the state, so it made a ton of sense for AllCare to tailor something to reduce that rate.”

According to the Oregon Health Authority, the rate of cigarette smoking among adults statewide was 13% in 2024. Counties in Southern Oregon had higher individual rates, including 21% in Josephine County, 18% in Jackson County, and 19% in Curry County.

But Balloch said the data also show those rates are trending down since AllCare expanded the Tobacco Cessation Program. In particular, Josephine County’s smoking rate for adults was 27.5% from 2014-17. The classes work by giving tools and removing economic barriers for those who want to quit, he said.

“We can definitely say that we have seen these efforts help reduce the overall rate of smoking in our region,” Balloch said. “This is one of the amazing things CCOs are doing on a daily basis. It’s all about improving population health.”

To find a class near you, click here.

Prioritized List Makes the Oregon Health Plan Work

Oregon once led the nation in health care innovation. At the heart of that success was the Prioritized List, a scientifically-driven process that ensured covered treatments were cost-effective and medically proven. It meant decisions were driven by evidence, not marketing hype or the latest high-priced “wonder drug.”

Former Governor John Kitzhaber, one of the original architects of Oregon’s health reform, explains why the Prioritized List of Health Services was created and why it matters today.

The Prioritized List was developed as part of the Oregon Health Plan to make Medicaid coverage evidence-based, transparent, and fair. This ensures the limited dollars go first to treatments that deliver the best health outcomes.

Instead of leaving decisions to opaque processes or political pressure, the list used medical evidence and expert judgment to rank treatments by clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. This helped Oregon expand health care access to more low-income residents because decisions about coverage were grounded in clear priorities rather than arbitrary cuts.

With current efforts underway to dismantle or weaken the list, Kitzhaber’s message serves as a reminder of the original vision — and why many health advocates are fighting to preserve it as a cornerstone of Oregon’s health care system.

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