LOCAL TOBACCO PREVENTION: WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR COMMUNITY

By Alissa Maier

Mickelberg www.natemickelberg.com

The Tobacco Prevention team at Fargo Cass Public Health, while few in numbers, are powerful in what they accomplish.

Holly Scott and Melissa Markegard are both Tobacco Prevention Coordinators. Their goal is to provide communities and residents in Cass County with education and resources to address and prevent tobacco use.

Fargo Cass Public Health urges smokers who wish to kick their nicotine addiction to utilize the free state-wide program, NDQuits, a tobacco cessation service available to all North Dakota residents. NDQuits, operated by the North Dakota Department of Health, offers phone or web-based support from trained counselors who assist residents in the quitting process. Those ready to quit are referred to the NDQuits program first. Ex-smokers often say that quitting smoking is one of the biggest achievements in their lives. NDQuits has helped thousands of smokers become proud quitters and has experienced a 31% success rate throughout North Dakota. When individualized treatment is more appropriate, the team at Fargo Cass Public Health will set up a plan for each individual. Melissa states, “Everyone has a different reason for quitting, whether it is their health, kids, pets or cost.” With these types of programs available on an individualized basis, the Tobacco Prevention Coordinators are addressing the problem of tobacco use at the local level.

While the tobacco cessation program at Fargo Cass Public Health is an established service, Holly and Melissa are also working to educate the community on newer goals in the tobacco prevention program. One of the initiatives they are hoping to advance is smoke-free multi-unit housing. They are actively providing resources to property managers and owners, along with renters, to educate them on the advantages of becoming smoke-free. Resources for property managers and landlords include sample lease language and tips on how to communicate a policy change to tenants. Tenant resources include talking points on the benefits of smoke-free apartments. Holly said, “Everybody should be able to live in a healthy and clean environment free of second and third-hand smoke.” By accessing these resources, owners and renters can work toward creating healthy living environments.

Another initiative for the Tobacco Prevention team is providing community-wide education regarding electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigs. There are many concerns surrounding e-cigs and their lack of regulations at the federal, state and local levels. Some of these devices contain the highly addictive drug, nicotine. The lack of federal regulation means an absence of laws regarding age restrictions for purchasing and using e-cigs, widespread lack of safety regulations of packaging including child-proof caps, and no regulations for advertising and marketing these products to minors. The public, and especially parents, need to be more informed about electronic cigarettes. Melissa said, “With the emergence of e-cigarettes and their similar appearance to a traditional cigarette, there is concern that use of these products will re-normalize smoking and create more young people becoming addicted to nicotine.”

Both Holly and Melissa shared this sentiment regarding the work they are so passionate about, “We want to be the place you come when you have questions about how to quit, when you want to create a tobacco usage change within your child’s school, or when you want your apartment building to become smoke-free. We have resources available and we look forward to meeting everyone where they are in their journey to become tobacco-free.”