Northern Westchester Hospital launches "We Can Resist" anti-vaping PSA for teens created by teens on President's Junior Leadership Council
MOUNT KISCO, N.Y., Oct. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- We Can Resist, an anti-vaping public service announcement (PSA) created by teenagers on Northern Westchester Hospital's (NWH) 50-member President's Junior Leadership Council is being made available to media, schools, PTAs and community organizations. The PSA, which is also available on YouTube, was funded by a generous grant from the Thomas and Agnes Carvel Foundation.
The release of the PSA coincides with rising concerns about the dangers of vaping as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified more than 1,000 cases of vaping-related lung disease with 26 deaths reported from 21 states as of October 11.
According to the hospital's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Marla Koroly, NWH has diagnosed five cases of vaping related lung injury over the past few weeks, one of whom was a 17-year-old. The hospital has been working with its medical staff, the CDC and the New York State Department of Health in the identification and treatment of these illnesses.
"Although patients with Vaping Related Lung Injury vape both nicotine and THC oils (tetrahydrocannabinol-the active ingredient in marijuana), it seems as though the illness may be related to additional chemicals that are put into THC oils," says Dr. Koroly. "We urge parents to have honest and open conversations with their loved ones--especially teenagers--about their use of THC oils and the need to stop using them immediately."
The We Can Resist PSA strives to educate young people by comparing big tobacco's marketing of nicotine to the recent marketing campaign around vaping. Many teens who would never consider smoking cigarettes believe vaping is safe and are shocked to learn that one Juul contains as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes. The marketing campaign has been so successful that Juul sales to teenagers rose from $200 million in 2017 to a projected $3.4 billion in 2019. In fact, a survey released by the National Institute of Health in December 2017, found that one in three high school students tried vaping in 2016.
"We are very proud of our President's Junior Leadership Council," says Amy Rosenfeld, MS, RD CDN, community educator, and coordinator of the Council, who worked with the students to create the PSA. "They are outraged that Juul created a new generation of nicotine addicts, and passionate in their efforts to educate their peers. We hope the We Can Resist PSA will be a wakeup call for anyone who vapes."
The PSA is the latest anti-vaping effort on the part of NWH's President's Junior Leadership Council. Two years ago, the prevalence of vaping so alarmed the Council, it recommended the hospital's community health education and outreach department address the problem. The resulting program--believed to be the only one of its kind--goes into high schools and middle schools to educate students about the hazards of vaping and conducts parent programs through school PTAs/PTOs to raise awareness of this growing health concern. To date, it has visited every high school and middle school in the hospital's catchment districts, conducting programs for more than 3800 high school and middle school students, and parents.
To view the We Can Resist PSA, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-caMT4C6NM
Image courtesy of Northern Westchester Hospital
About Northern Westchester Hospital
Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), a member of Northwell Health, provides quality, patient-centered care that is close to home through a unique combination of medical expertise, leading-edge technology, and a commitment to humanity. Over 650 highly-skilled physicians, state-of-the-art technology and professional staff of caregivers are all in place to ensure that you and your family receive treatment in a caring, respectful and nurturing environment. NWH has established extensive internal quality measurements that surpass the standards defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) National Hospital Quality Measures. Our high-quality standards help to ensure that the treatment you receive at NWH is among the best in the nation. For more information, please visit http://www.nwhc.net and connect with us on Facebook.
About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State's largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, about 750 outpatient facilities and more than 13,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 70,000 employees - 16,000-plus nurses and 4,000 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners - are working to change health care for the better. We're making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
SOURCE Northern Westchester Hospital
