Members of the Cook County Higher Ed board were delighted to put up the tobacco free signs at the North Shore campus two years ago. (L-R) Beth Rogers Kennedy, Janet Ditmanson, Bill Hansen, Bob Pratt and Higher Ed Director Paula Sundet-Wolf. Jodi L. Tervo, program manager with the American Lung Association, said since then 13 additional campuses in Minnesota have passed similar tobacco-free policies.
Cook County Higher Education (CCHE) North Shore Campus and the American Lung Association-Tobacco Free Campus Program came together two years ago to pass a tobacco free campus policy. The two entities have been working together since then to keep the policy strong.
Paula Sundet-Wolf, CCHE executive director, said the North Shore Campus made the change in June 2010, joining 17 other campuses in Minnesota in becoming tobacco free or smoke free. Sundet said, “CCHE is committed to creating a clean, safe and healthy learning and working environment for all students, employees, board members, and North Shore Campus guests.”
Jodi L. Tervo, program manager, American Lung Association Tobacco Prevention & Control, said since then, an additional 13 campuses in Minnesota have passed similar tobacco-free policies.
Tervo said colleges prepare students to enter today’s workforce. With over half of the states having smoke-free laws that protect workers, tobacco free policies support the majority of work environments students will be entering upon graduation.
According to Mike McAvoy of Essentia Health in Duluth, there are 21 states with laws that allow businesses to not hire smokers. College campuses are beginning to take this information into consideration when passing policies as they want to have high job placement rates, and this is one more way to increase the of employment.
Tobacco-free policies also support the quit attempts made by students, making tobacco use the “hard choice.” All Minnesotans have access to free cessation services, which have been regularly promoted on campus as part of being a tobacco free campus.
Tervo said according to the 2012 Surgeon General’s Report, one in every three young adults (18-25 years old) is a current cigarette smoker, versus one in every five adults. Also, 99% of all tobacco users start before age 26. Of the young tobacco users, one-third of them will die from tobacco related causes. Creating school-based policies have proven effective in reducing the initiation, prevalence and intensity of smoking among youth and young adults.
Tervo said, “The American Lung Association in Minnesota applauds Cook County Higher Education’s decision to pass their policy and continues to support their efforts in keeping it strong to help better the health of the community. Congratulations on being tobacco free for two years.”
The smoke-free campus of Cook County Higher Education is just one of the results of the work of the American Cancer Society and American Lung Association’s Great American Smokeout effort, held each year on the third Thursday of November. Visit www.cancer.org to learn more about quitting smoking, improving your health, or getting involved in your community. Or just call your American Cancer Society anytime at 1-800-227-2345. November is National Lung Cancer Awareness Month. For more information, visit www.lung.org.
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