09/22/2017
HELPING US COLLEGE CAMPUSES GO TO***CO FREE!
CVS Health Foundation, ACS, & Truth Initiative announce grants to help U.S. colleges go to***co-free
Sep 19, 2017
The CVS Health Foundation, American Cancer Society, and Truth Initiative today announced that grants are now available to help U.S. colleges and universities advocate for, adopt, and implement 100 percent smoke- and to***co-free campus policies. The grants are part of aggressive efforts by all three organizations to deliver the first to***co-free generation by accelerating and expanding the number of campuses across the country that prohibit smoking and to***co use.
The announcement of newly available grants coincides with the awarding of $1.2 million in grants to 126 schools that are working toward a to***co-free campus policy, the largest number of schools to do so at any one time. Spanning the U.S., the campuses include 43 major academic institutions, including Stanford University and University of Pittsburgh; 34 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including Howard University; and 49 community colleges. Grantees range from colleges in the early stages of building campus support for going to***co-free to those that have adopted policies and need support to successfully implement them.
The grants delivered through Truth Initiative and ACS are part of Be The First, CVS Health's five-year, $50-million initiative that supports education, to***co control, and healthy behavior programming with a goal of helping to deliver the nation's first to***co-free generation. CVS Health's efforts targeting college students meet an urgent and critical need. Of the roughly 20 million college and university students in the U.S., more than 1 million have been projected to die prematurely from cigarette smoking.
"We are at a critical moment in our nation's efforts to end the epidemic of smoking and to***co use, and expanding the number of to***co-free college and university campuses is an important step in our efforts," said Eileen Howard Boone, president of the CVS Health Foundation. "We're confident our strategy will drive a significant decline in the number of new college-age smokers, and contribute to the progress being made where a to***co-free generation in the U.S. seems possible."
With the CVS Health Foundation's support, ACS and Truth Initiative programs help students, faculty, and staff develop and execute strategies that are customized to meet the campuses' unique needs and move the schools toward a 100 percent smoke- and to***co-free environment. Each organization also provides technical assistance and other resources to schools, including education, communications, support to quit smoking, and evaluation.
According to a new survey from CVS Health, public support for smoke- and to***co-free campus policies remains strong. The results released today revealed that 3 in 4 Americans (73%) and 8 in 10 current U.S. college students (78%) indicated their support for policies that prohibit smoking and other to***co use on college campuses. At the same time, 57% of U.S. college students say a to***co-free campus is important to them when considering applying to or attending a college. The findings come from a public opinion poll conducted by Morning Consult for CVS Health in August 2017. For more findings, visit cvshealth.com/CampusSurvey.
"While we have made great progress driving down the smoking rate to 6 percent among youth, the prevalence of smoking by young adults is 14.2 percent and those who attend college have a higher risk of initiating and experimenting with smoking," said Robin Koval, CEO and president of Truth Initiative, the national public health organization that directs and funds the truth campaign. "With 99 percent of smokers starting before age 26, college campuses are critical in preventing young adults from starting to***co use, aiding current smokers in quitting, and reducing exposure to secondhand smoke for all. We are thrilled to be working with the CVS Health Foundation to provide grants to minority-serving institutions, HBCUs, and community colleges to give them the tools to go to***co-free and be the generation that ends smoking."
"To***co is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States. Cigarette smoking is responsible for approximately 30 percent of all cancer deaths, killing up to half of its users," said our CEO Gary Reedy. "By partnering with the CVS Health Foundation to create to***co-free campus environments, we can reduce youth to***co exposure, prevent students from becoming addicted, and ultimately, reduce the number of people who get sick and die from cancer and other to***co-related diseases."
Since the launch of its to***co-free college program in 2016, the CVS Health Foundation has awarded more than $3 million in grants to 146 U.S. colleges and universities. The U.S. Department of Education reports there are approximately 4,700 U.S. colleges and universities, many of which have more than one campus. Yet, only 1,611 campuses are 100-percent smoke- and to***co-free, according to an Americans for Nonsmokers Rights analysis.
To see the full list of colleges supported by these grants and for more information on the grant application process, please visit cvshealth.com/to***cofreecampus.
CVS Health polled nearly 2,900 college students and parents to get their thoughts about to***co-free campus policies.
