WESTCHESTER COUNTY LAUNCHES VAPING PREVENTION AND AWARENESS CAMPAIGN FOR GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT

WESTCHESTER COUNTY LAUNCHES VAPING PREVENTION AND AWARENESS CAMPAIGN FOR GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT.

Westchester County Department of Health Focuses on Prevention.

(White Plains, NY) – Upholding Westchester County’s commitment to public health, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, the Department of Health and several community partners have launched a Vaping Prevention and Awareness Campaign. The campaign includes a series of three public service announcements (PSAs), released in the days leading up to the Great American Smokeout, November 21. The videos were created to help inform Westchester County residents about the dangers of vaping.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer said: “For more than 40 years, the American Cancer Society has hosted the Great American Smokeout on the third Thursday in November. Today, we are facing a new challenge with vaping becoming more prevalent with our youth. This Public Awareness Campaign is designed to help educate our parents on the dangers and health risks associated with vaping, so they can hopefully stop the problem before it starts.”

Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD said: “Quitting vaping can be just as difficult as quitting smoking because nicotine in vapes and tobacco is highly addictive. Watch these videos, get the facts and if you smoke or vape, make a plan to quit.”

Help is available to you in Westchester County:

·         NY Smoke Free - 1-866-697-8487

·         Centers for Disease Control - 1-800-QUIT-NOW

·         American Cancer Society support groups - 1-800-277-2345

·         American Lung Association - find a clinic near you, call 1-800-LUNGUSA

The first Westchester County PSA focuses on The Health Risks of Vaping in Children. It features Amy Brown, MD, MBe and Shetal Shah, MD. Dr. Brown is an attending Pediatric Pulmonologist at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at New York Medical College. Dr. Shah is a neonatologist and researcher and a Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology at New York Medical College. 

The second PSA focuses on How to Recognize Vape Devices. It features Carolyn D’Agostino, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuser Counselor and Credentialed Prevention Professional who is a Student Assistance Counselor for Student Assistance Services, a not-for-profit agency whose focus is substance abuse prevention.

The final PSA focuses on How to Talk to Kids about Vaping. It features advice from Sherlita Amler, MD, Commissioner of Health, and Daniel A. Cohen, MD, a pediatrician at WestMed in Purchase.

Dr. Amler is a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at New York Medical College School of Medicine; and a Distinguished Lecturer at the College’s School of Public Health, as well as a Senior Fellow at its Center for Disaster Medicine. Dr. Cohen is Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Watch the first PSA on the Health Risks of Vaping in Children.

Watch the second PSA on How to Recognize Vape Devices.

Watch the third PSA on How to Talk to Kids about Vaping.

For more information, call the New York State Vaping Hotline at 1-888-364-3046.