OXFORD, Miss. – As part of its commitment to building healthier communities, CVS Health has provided $18,000 in grants through the CVS Health Foundation to the University of Mississippi to advocate for, adopt and implement 100 percent smoke- and tobacco-free campus policies, including limiting the use of e-cigarettes.
The university is part of a more-than-$1.4 million grant pool to 82 schools across the country. Delivered in partnership with the American Cancer Society and Truth Initiative, the grants build upon the three organizations’ combined commitment to helping deliver a tobacco-free generation.
The funding will help accelerate and expand the number of campuses across the country that prohibit smoking, e-cigarette and other tobacco product use.
“The Center for Wellness Education is excited to begin the conversation of fostering an environment that supports a tobacco-free campus,” said Erin Cromeans, UM assistant director of wellness education. “We would like to join the nearly 2,000 colleges and universities who have executed a tobacco-free campus.”
While conventional cigarette smoking among high school students has fallen by almost 50 percent since 2011, e-cigarette use has surged over the last year, especially among young people; 2.8 million young adults aged 18-24 are e-cigarette users.
The spread of e-cigarettes risks a reversal of progress made in reducing smoking over the last two decades, given that young people who vape are four times more likely to begin smoking cigarettes in the future.
“A critical goal in building healthier communities across the country is reducing tobacco use, which remains one of the leading causes of preventable death in this country,” said Eileen Howard Boone, president of the CVS Health Foundation. “By helping more colleges and universities explore and execute on tobacco-free policies, we’re able to positively influence the number of new college-age smokers and get one step closer to our goal of seeing the first tobacco-free generation.”
With broad support from numerous groups and organizations across campus, Ole Miss adopted a campuswide smoking ban in 2013. Smoking is prohibited at all times and at all locations on campus, including university-owned facilities, properties and grounds.
As part of the adoption, the university also offers multiple cessation options for those seeking to quit smoking.
“Moving from a smoke-free to tobacco-free campus is the logical next step in creating a healthier environment for everyone who studies, works or visits the University of Mississippi,” said Leslie Banahan, UM assistant vice chancellor for student affairs. “I am grateful we are addressing the risks of tobacco use and, hopefully, helping this generation of students be nonusers of cigarettes, chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes.”
The grants are part of Be The First, CVS Health’s five-year, $50 million initiative to deliver the nation’s first tobacco-free generation, which is a major program within the company’s new $100 million Building Healthier Communities initiative. While the number of U.S. colleges and universities that are smoke- or tobacco-free has doubled since 2012, approximately half the nearly 5,000 schools across the country still have no comprehensive policy in place.
With the CVS Health Foundation’s support, the American Cancer Society and Truth Initiative programs help students, faculty and staff develop and execute strategies that are customized to meet the unique needs of each campus and move the schools toward a 100-percent smoke- and tobacco-free environment.
Together, the organizations have provided financial and technical support to more than 200 colleges and universities since 2016, helping to clear the air for more than a million students.
“While the teen smoking rate has fallen to an all-time low of 4.6 percent, the rapid rise in e-cigarette use threatens to erase this progress, given youth who vape are four times more likely to progress to smoking deadly cigarettes,” said Robin Koval, CEO and president of Truth Initiative. “Over the years, we’ve had great success in working with colleges to go smoke- and tobacco-free.
“They now play a critical role in also addressing the e-cigarette epidemic as vaping becomes even more prevalent on campuses across the U.S. Together with our partners, we look forward to empowering as many colleges and universities as possible with the information and resources they need to end all tobacco use for good.”
“Cigarettes cause more than 480,000 U.S. deaths annually and are responsible for nearly 29 percent of all cancer deaths in the U.S.,” said Gary Reedy, CEO of the American Cancer Society. “College is a time when young adults are susceptible to developing or perpetuating an addiction to nicotine and tobacco.
“This partnership continues to enable us to help reduce tobacco use among college students and therefore reduce the number of people impacted by tobacco-related diseases.”
For a full list of colleges supported by these grants and for more information on the grant application process, visit http://www.cvshealth.com/smartcampusesquit.