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TSET Marks 25 Years With Historic Legacy Grants to Strengthen Health for Generations |
This year, TSET celebrates 25 years of voter-led vision and impact — a milestone that honors Oklahoma’s decision to build a healthier future through a permanent, constitutionally protected endowment. In 2000, Oklahomans approved State Question 692, choosing to safeguard most of the state’s Master Settlement Agreement funds and invest them for long-term health improvement.
That visionary choice created a trust unlike any other in the nation and ensured TSET programs would be funded solely through investment earnings, not tax dollars.
Over the past quarter century, the results of that decision have been profound. TSET-funded initiatives have helped cut the state’s adult smoking rate in half, supported more than 630,000 quit attempts through the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline and strengthened research efforts that have leveraged more than $855 million in additional funding for cancer research, prevention and tobacco cessation.
Communities across Oklahoma have used TSET grants to expand access to healthy foods, build walking trails and parks and create healthier opportunities for youth and families. These collective efforts continue to reduce the chronic diseases that burden Oklahomans and drive billions in preventable health care costs each year.
As TSET marks this 25-year milestone, it has launched one of its most significant investments to date: TSET Legacy Grants. This historic, nearly $150 million initiative demonstrates the long-term vision behind the endowment and represents a bold commitment to large-scale, statewide impact.
Legacy Grants support transformational projects with the potential to shift the trajectory of Oklahoma’s health for decades to come. Awardees will work in health care access, workforce development, clinical research, healthy food availability and data-driven prevention.
Many projects will work directly in rural and underserved communities, where gaps in access to care and healthy resources have persisted for generations. Others will expand research capacity, strengthen health systems and grow the health care workforce — all essential to improving outcomes and reducing chronic disease.
“TSET’s ability to offer these Legacy Grants to improve health is a testament to the wisdom of the public officials who framed the agency and the Oklahoma voters who approved the state question 25 years ago,” said TSET Executive Director Julie Bisbee. “TSET is truly unique in the nation, and it’s only through the smart stewardship of our tobacco settlement dollars that TSET is able to make such a substantial investment in improving health.”
TSET Legacy Grants mark the largest single slate of awards in TSET’s history and stand as a generational investment in Oklahoma’s well-being.
As these projects move forward, they reflect more than funding — they embody 25 years of commitment to helping Oklahomans live longer, healthier lives and ensuring communities have the tools they need to thrive. |
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New Episode Alert!
TSET Better Health Podcast: 25 Years of Health Impact in OklahomaIn Episode 55 of the TSET Better Health Podcast, TSET Executive Director Julie Bisbee and longtime family physician Steven Crawford discuss how 25 years of decisions by Oklahoma voters and policymakers have shaped public health across the state.
Listeners will hear how TSET’s funding model helped reduce smoking rates, expand access to care, support cancer research and strengthen community wellness. Local resident Melissa Cunningham shares how TSET’s work transformed wellness efforts in Delaware County from “crickets to transformation.”
Tune in - available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts - and hear how 25 years of TSET investment continue to build a healthier Oklahoma. |
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Perspective: Julie Bisbee in the Journal Record |
This month in the Journal Record, Julie Bisbee highlights a critical issue: diabetes continues to challenge Oklahoma, with nearly one in eight adults living with the disease and another 33% at risk.
Bisbee emphasizes prevention through healthy eating, physical activity, weight management, and avoiding tobacco. Employers can support wellness with simple steps like walking breaks, nutritious snacks, and access to health information. TSET partnerships help strengthen Oklahoma’s workforce and keep communities healthier for generations. | | | |
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