Tobacco smoke has always been a part of Jennifer Gill’s life. 

Much of her family smoked when she was a child, said Gill, MPH, who is now the Tobacco Program Manager at Vista Community Clinic. She remembers how difficult it was for her parents to quit because at the time, there were not any cessation resources available to help, she said.

During graduate school at George Washington University, Gill worked with her professor to create an email and text-message-based program to help college students quit smoking. This project became Gill’s master’s thesis, and she continued working with her professor after graduation. 

In 2019, Gill began working at the Vista Community Clinic (VCC) in Vista, California, as the Program Supervisor overseeing smoke-free outdoor dining projects in San Marcos. She also helped developed the curriculum for VCC’s smoking cessation program. In 2020, she became the Program Manager of several tobacco policy initiatives; she was promoted to the overall Tobacco Program Manager in 2022. 

The VCC’s Tobacco Program has two branches: education and policy. As the Tobacco Program Manager, Gill’s tasks vary day-to-day. One day, she might be meeting with city council members to discuss smokefree policies, and the next she is speaking with students at a health fair.

Her favorite part of her job is talking one-on-one with people about their experiences with second- and thirdhand smoke, especially when she can offer support to people dealing with secondhand smoke intrusion in their apartments, she said.

“A lot of time people just want to be heard because their property managers are not listening to them,” Gill said, “so being that ear for them to talk to is really meaningful for me.” 

She said it is especially meaningful because of her personal experience.

“I lived in a house that had secondhand smoke in it,” she said. “Most of the places I went to with my family, there was smoke in the house.”

At larger scale, VCC works with communities in North County to create smokefree multiunit housing by advocating for policy change. The organization has worked with the cities of Carlsbad, Oceanside, Vista, Escondido, and San Marcos as well as the unincorporated areas in North County for over 20 years.

“If there’s a tobacco policy in one of those cities, we most likely were involved with it,” Gill said.

Recently, Gill and VCC helped Carlsbad pass a comprehensive smokefree multiunit housing ordinance where people cannot smoke or vape any substance inside or within 25 feet of any apartment or condo. This policy protects residents from secondhand smoke intrusion as well as prevents the buildup of new thirdhand smoke residue, which reduces current and future residents’ risk of thirdhand smoke exposure. This policy took effect on January 1, 2025.

After the meeting when Carlsbad City Council passed the ban, two women walked up to Gill saying how many lives she and VCC just saved. She said this moment reminded her why she does tobacco prevention — to help communities be healthy.

“When those moments happen, it’s just like, ‘Okay, this is why we do this, and this is why we work so hard,’” Gill said. “To be a part of that is really rewarding.”

Looking ahead, VCC plans to continue to help cities increase smokefree multiunit housing and outdoor public spaces. The organization will also keep teaching students in the Spreading Tobacco and Alcohol Advocacy Through Youth (STAAY) Club at Vista High School about preventing substance use, including tobacco prevention and how reducing tobacco product waste protects the environment. In the club, students help advocate for tobacco retail licenses, smokefree outdoor public places, and smokefree multiunit housing. These policies limit the number of tobacco products sold and where people can use tobacco products, which reduces everyone’s risk of second- and thirdhand smoke exposure. Students also learn how to speak in front of city council members and recruit community members for events through the club.  

Gill and VCC are busy, but Gill is not deterred; she stays focused on VCC’s goal to help communities become smokefree.

“I think that it’s important to try and take a step back and remember what it is we’re trying to do,” she said. “If you can do tobacco policy work or tobacco prevention, you can do anything.”