News and Events
Another Successful Year for the Tobacco Free Partnership of Indian River County Draws to a Close
June 4 , 2015
Since QuitDoc began to manage the local tobacco prevention efforts in July 2012, the main goal of the Tobacco Free Partnership has been to increase the number of youth who do not use tobacco.
The good news is that youth tobacco initiation has improved over the past three years. The majority of middle school youth (98.7%) and the majority of high school teens (90.6%) in the 2014 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey (FYTS) did NOT use cigarettes. Over 73% of middle school students reported they were taught about tobacco use in a class at school and over 33% of high school students reported the same.
Quit Doc and its community Partnership took steps to prevent youth tobacco initiation, expand tobacco cessation opportunities, and decrease exposure to second hand smoke by incorporating one or more tobacco control tactics into community strategic plans and policies.
- The School District adopted a comprehensive tobacco free campus policy and is communicating it through signs purchased by the Partnership. The Code of Student Conduct incorporated student referral to the Tobacco Intervention Program.
- Elected officials in Fellsmere, Vero Beach, Sebastian and Indian River County passed resolutions encouraging the education of youth about the dangers of flavored tobacco and urging retailers to restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products that target kids.
- Twenty Indian River employers have taken the opportunity to review and strengthen employee cessation support policies and tobacco free grounds policies; involving over 6,300 employees. As a result one restaurant created a smoke free patio dining experience for patrons.
- In response to the public use of electronic cigarettes inside publicly used buildings the cities of Sebastian and Vero Beach and the County initiated age and placement ordinances. Sebastian and Vero Beach enacted ordinances banning the use of vaping electronic cigarettes in areas where smoking is prohibited.
Partners, governments, employers, and non-profits implemented practices and policies to expand community support and institutionalize tobacco prevention as a community issue. For the next three years, the community and Quit Doc will continue to work on preventing initiation among youth and young adults, promoting quitting among adults and youth, and eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke.
