News and Events
Highlands County has a New Tobacco Prevention Specialist!
July 14, 2021
QuitDoc Foundation recently named Jessica Carlson as the Tobacco Prevention Specialist of Highlands County. Jessica comes to QuitDoc from the Hardee County Chamber of Commerce where she has been the Executive Director for the past 7 years. Through hard-work, rebranding, and leadership, Jessica was able to transform the Hardee County Chamber of Commerce from barely surviving (in 2016) to thriving in a rural community. As part of her job, she regularly presented to the County Commission, collaborated with county/city administration, and built a solid group of community partners through networking and being a constant facet in her community.
“I am beyond exited to represent Highlands County as QuitDoc’s newest team member,” said Jessica. “Implementing the education, prevention and treatment of tobacco in this beautiful community is a true passion of mine.”
In addition to her role as the Director of the Chamber, Jessica is also a Health and Wellness Coach. As a coach, she cultivates and manages new and existing relationships by living a healthy lifestyle and recruiting others to do the same. Through coaching, she serves as a mentor to hundreds of women working towards health goals. Jessica has truly developed a love for healthy living, in all capacity, and has a deep passion for helping others live happier, healthier lives.
Jessica and her husband, Jeff are newly married, reside in Highlands County and together, have three beautiful children, Jhet, Logan and Morgan. They stay quite busy volunteering their time, giving back to their community and enjoy traveling and spending time with their family.
The Partnership will continue to work on several initiatives to reduce youth access to tobacco products, to reduce illnesses and exposure to secondhand smoke, and to promote tobacco cessation services throughout the county.
The Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) Program will continue to be an active part of the partnership in Highlands County. Florida’s SWAT Program has been a model for other states and remains a very effective youth prevention program.
For more information, you can contact Jessica by email at JCarlson@QuitDoc.com.
