“Drop the Vape!” – St. Joseph’s Health Aids Efforts to Reduce Youth Tobacco Use and Prevent Addiction

SYRACUSE, N.Y.—  The CNY Regional Center for Tobacco Health Systems at St. Joseph’s Health is encouraging teens to “Drop the Vape” and stop smoking all types of tobacco products. According to the U.S Surgeon General, 18.7 percent of teens in New York State (NYS) have picked up the addictive habit of vaping, which often creates dangerous adult behaviors that can stick with them for life.

“Research shows that youths who use e-cigarettes are four times more likely to start smoking conventional cigarettes than their peers who do not vape,” said Kristen Richardson, director of the CNY Regional Center for Tobacco Health Systems at St. Joseph’s Health. “Nicotine exposure via electronic cigarettes, traditional cigarettes or other routes leads to addiction and primes the adolescent brain for other addictions, including opioid addiction. The younger the initiation of tobacco use, the stronger the addiction as an adult."

DropTheVape is a free text-based youth and young adult vaping cessation service for smokers aged 13-24 provided by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH). The service is evidence-based and was developed by the Truth Initiative® with input from young people who wanted to quit vaping. 

“Most adults and teens who smoke or use e-cigarettes DO want to stop,” said Richardson. “We know that quitting smoking or vaping is hard, but smokers can increase their chances of success with help.”  

This program makes it easier to stop. Any NYS resident in the targeted age bracket can text “DropTheVape” to 88709. Enrollees in the program receive interactive daily text messages tailored to their sign-up date or their target quit date, should they choose to set one. Messages include encouragement, motivation, tips, coping strategies, and exercise to help build their belief that they CAN quit. To date the initiative has helped more than 600,000 young people nationally on their journey to quit vaping. 

The program also directs users to the NYS Smokers’ Quitline at 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487), or http://www.nysmokefree.com, which provides free and confidential quit coaching for people who vape or smoke, and free starter kits of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to eligible New Yorkers to help them break their dependence on smoking or vaping tobacco.

NYSDOH and the NYS Education Department are working together to provide materials in English and Spanish to help young people quit vaping. The free materials are available here to view, download and print. The color posters are 11 x 17 inches. They can also be ordered from the New York State Department of Health distribution center here.

 

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About St. Joseph’s Health

St. Joseph’s Health, a non-profit health care system in Syracuse, NY, has been a trailblazer in the field since 1869, when it became the city’s first public hospital. Its commitment to exceptional care is evident in a network of primary, specialized, and partner care facilities, providing a range of services to promote long-term health in the communities we serve. St. Joseph’s has been ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, is a designated Primary Stroke Center, and is consistently named a Best Regional Hospital and #1 in the Syracuse Metro area by US News and World Report. St. Joseph’s Health is dedicated to excellence, innovation, and compassionate patient care. From pioneering ambulance services in Syracuse to being the first in Central New York to use DaVinci robotic surgery technology in an outpatient facility, St. Joseph’s legacy of firsts demonstrates its ongoing commitment to leading medical advancements. Affiliated with St. Joseph’s Physiciansand a member of Trinity Health, St. Joseph’s Health is your trusted partner in health, combining a rich history with a forward-thinking approach to ensure the health and well-being of our communities.

 

About Trinity Health

Trinity Health is one of the largest not-for-profit, Catholic health care systems in the nation. It is a family of 115,000 colleagues and nearly 26,000 physicians and clinicians caring for diverse communities across 25 states. Nationally recognized for care and experience, the Trinity Health system includes 88 hospitals, 131 continuing care locations, the second largest PACE program in the country, 125 urgent care locations and many other health and well-being services. Based in Livonia, Michigan, its annual operating revenue is $20.2 billion with $1.2 billion returned to its communities in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs.