Kent State University will become a smoke-free, tobacco-free campus beginning July 1. The new policy is part of the university’s healthy campus initiative, Kent State of Wellness.
For those desiring to quit, Kent State provides an abundance of cessation resources for students, faculty and staff to help them quit smoking.
According to the American Lung Association, the first seven to 10 days are the toughest and most smokers who return to smoking do so within the first three months, so it is a vital time to support their efforts during that time.
“As a university, we feel it’s part of our responsibility, if you’re changing the environment in such a way, that you provide a support system,” said Kim Hauge, director of employee wellness at Kent State. “It is true we are going to have a smoke and tobacco-free campus, but I appreciate the care and manner in which we are doing this. We are taking the time to educate our campus community and provide support and resources to students and employees that choose to quit smoking. We’re not leaving them out there to just figure it out themselves. ”
For Students
University Health Service - Office of Health Promotion is offering the American Lung Associations’ Freedom from Smoking program free to all students at Kent State. This program, held at the DeWeese Health Center, offers eight sessions over a seven-week period that helps anyone become and stay smoke-free through proven techniques.
For Employees
A comprehensive list of resources, contact information and eligibility requirements for university employees is available through the Human Resources Benefits and Wellness Office.
Nicotine replacement therapy and prescription medication coverage were added to the CVS prescription drug plan for all employees and their covered dependents (18 and over). No co-pay or co-insurance will be applied for Nicotine replacement therapy or prescriptions. To see which services you qualify for, visit here.
“When you look at the research behind it, you will find that most smokers want to quit,” Hauge said. “We want to show them this is how you can do it, that you do have support and you’re not expected to just go out and try to quit cold turkey on your own.”
For All
University Health Services and the Employee Wellness Team has compiled additional free resources open to students, faculty and staff, including QuitLogix at https://ohio.quitlogix.org/ and the American Cancer Society Quit for Life Program at http://www.cancer.org/healthy/stayawayfromtobacco/quit-for-life.
For a convenient, virtual support for smoking cessation, download the app.
This Smoke-Free, Tobacco Free policy (3342-5-21) applies to all members of the university community, including students, employees, volunteers, patients, customers and visitors on all Kent State properties.
Find more information about the smoke-free, tobacco-free initiative