Public Health Reports Webcast:
The Surgeon General's
Youth Tobacco Report supports
the Tobacco-Free College Campus Initiative
Regina M. Benjamin, MD, MBA
U.S. Surgeon General
Clifford Douglas, JD
Director of the University of Michigan Tobacco Research Network
David Smith, MD
President, State University of New York [SUNY],
Upstate Medical University
A Report of the Surgeon General

SG Luther Terry Report 1964

2 tobacco-related Surgeon
General’s reports

Spring 2012 Youth and Young
Adults
One Cigarette Can Cause a Heart Attack
Tobacco Smoke damages
almost every organ of the body
Heartbeat
Tobacco Smoke is Addicting

Cigarettes are designed for addiction

Nicotine is the key chemical compound that causes
the powerful addicting effects

Other ingredients and design features make them
even more attractive and addictive than ever before

Product design, flavoring agents,

And added chemical ingredients

Every day 1200 Americans die
from smoking

Each of those people are being
replaced by 2 young smokers

90% of all smokers start before
age 18,

99% of all smokers start before
age 26
Scientists Show Evidence
of Causality

The more the youth is exposed to
Marketing and Advertisement, the
more likely they are to start and
maintain smoking

More than $1 million dollars an
hour

Over $27 million a day is spent
on targeted messaging and
images
We can make the next generation tobacco-free
:
Destiny
The National Tobacco-Free
College Campus Initiative
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Clifford E. Douglas, J.D.
Consulting Tobacco Control Policy Advisor
to the Assistant Secretary for Health
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services
Ending the Tobacco Epidemic: Tobacco
Control Strategic Action Plan for HHS
Vision:
A society free of tobacco-related
death and disease
Charges:
www.hhs.gov/ash/initiative
s/tobacco/tobaccostrategic
plan2010.pdf
1. Develop and implement an
HHS-wide strategic action plan
framed around four Healthy
People 2020 tobacco control
goals
2. Support the FDA’s newly
acquired role to regulate the
manufacture, marketing and
distribution of tobacco
products
Four Pillars of the HHS Tobacco Control
Strategic Action Plan
Lead by Example:
Implement model tobacco
control policies within
HHS
Improve the Public’s
Health:
Accelerate State and
community tobacco
control efforts
Engage the Public:
Advance Knowledge:
Change social norms with
national media and
communications
Expand the science base
and monitor progress
Pillar #1 Includes HHS’s Own Tobacco-Free
Campus Policy
Lead by Example:
Implement model tobacco
control policies within
HHS
July 2011:
HHS
established a
comprehensive
tobacco-free
campus policy
covering all
of its facilities
The Tobacco-Free College Campus Initiative
Vision: Widespread expansion of tobaccofree policies to institutions of
higher learning across the U.S.
Goals:
1. Foster a collaborative, cooperative
effort among academic institutions
and partners in the public health
community
2. Expand awareness in academia and
among the public of the need for and
benefits of such policies
3. Facilitate information flow and access
to technical assistance
Key Activities of the Tobacco-Free
College Campus Initiative
•
Ongoing consultation, collaboration and information exchange with leaders
from academia and the public health community
•
Engage in educational events across the nation
•
HHS webcast Town Hall with Surgeon General Regina Benjamin at
University of Washington (June 2012)
•
Surgeon General Benjamin’s national webinar (June 2012)
•
National Conference on Tobacco or Health (Aug. 2012)
•
University of Michigan national webcast event with Assistant Secretary
for Health Howard Koh (Sept. 2012)
•
College campus visits by Assistant Secretary for Health Koh and
Surgeon General Benjamin
SUNY Upstate
Medical University
Our Smoke-Free Journey
David R. Smith, MD
President
June 27, 2010
Our Smoke-Free Journey
• Making the Decision
• March 2004, campus planning began to go smoke free
• The decision aligned with the Upstate Mission
• Smoking on the campus contradicted our mission
• July 2004, President formally announced a year-long plan to
make the campus Smoke Free
• Smoke Free Advisory Committee formed that reported
directly to the President
Smoke-Free Advisory Committee
 Employee/Student Health
 Committee leadership
 Smoking cessation
 Employee/Labor Relations
 Union issues
 Human Resources
 Benefits
 Recruitment issues
 Respiratory Care
 Inpatient smoking cessation
issues
 Assistance with smoking
cessation programming
 Organizational Training and
Development
 Development of educational
materials
 Hospital Administration
 Program support
 Communication with upper
levels
 Public and Media Relations
 Press releases
 GASO speakers
 Public Safety
 Compliance issues
 Healthcare Teleservices
 Preadmission notification
 Visitor interaction
 Library Services
 Historical perspective
Demographic Information
SUNY Upstate Medical University is
an Urban Campus
• Largest employer in Onondaga County
• Employs approximately 9500
• Three major labor unions representing over 6000
• University Hospital and University Hospital at CGH
• Colleges of Medicine, Health Professions, Nursing, and
Graduate Studies.
• Combined student body of 1500+
First SUNY Campus to become smoke-free
Assessing Our Situation:
• Conducted a survey in partnership with the ACS
• Smoking statistics were extrapolated from the 2004
survey and compared to a 2002 survey.
– 2002 - 17% campus population were smokers
– 2004 – 13% campus population were smokers
85% of those smokers had an interest in
quitting
• Non-Compliance with Existing Policy
Union Considerations
• Upstate has 5 Unions
• Developed MOU for new policy
• Labor Union Meetings
Smoke-Free Communications
• The President continued to issue letters to the campus as
we entered each new phase of the process.
• A Communication Plan was developed, to include:
• Slogan – “Let’s Clear the Air”
• Website
• Unique Signage
• Campus Maps (Defined Campus Boundaries)
• Staff Education Booklets
• Pamphlets for visitors
• Intervention cards
• Recruitment tool
Our Smoke-Free Journey
• New Policy Implemented
– Communication
– Responsibility and Compliance
• Support for smoking cessation.
• Realizing great success, but one problem still
haunted us:
The Public Sidewalk!
Our Journey
for Public Support
• Finding leverage to influence local
government
• Deflect the dissent
• Use your friends
• Use your muscle
Our Legacy
 A new generation of workers and patients and visitors has
acclimated to the policy
 We are directing smoking cessation programs across the
region
 We are consulting on implementation programs for health
care facilities across the state
 We are now working on a SUNY Wide initiative for a
“Tobacco-Free SUNY”
Thank You
We would now like to take your Questions.
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