News from the Noteworthy by Tobacco-Free Communities: Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie

Tobacco: Community Change Takes All of Us

We are at that time of year when many of us make New Year resolutions to improve our lives in some way that corelates with a fresh beginning for the new year. Quitting tobacco use is at the top of that list of resolutions for many smokers and vapers. The New York State Smokers’ Quitline reports January is its busiest time of year and anticipates this January will be no different.

While cessation resources are crucial for those seeking to quit, combatting nicotine addiction requires extra support, not only from friends and family, but from the larger community. This is because nicotine is one of the most addictive substances in the world. Triggers for tobacco use abound, including exposure to secondhand smoke when frequenting businesses or enjoying local parks, or even living in multi-unit housing. Stores that heavily market tobacco products at the check-out counter can also influence smokers to make impulse buys and deter their quit attempts.

Communities can support tobacco users trying to quit by creating and normalizing tobacco-free environments in outdoor spaces and in multi-unit housing. Neahwa Park Apartments did just that by adopting a smoke-free policy in their buildings, giving their residents and staff cleaner, healthier air. In 2022, to honor its commitment to providing a healthy environment for all students, faculty and staff, Hartwick College adopted a tobacco-free campus policy that prohibits smoking, vaping, and other types of tobacco use on college grounds and properties.

Local businesses, such as Green Earth Health Food Market in Oneonta, have also adopted tobacco-free grounds policies to protect their staff and customers from exposure to secondhand smoke. Municipalities, including Oneonta and the villages of Cooperstown and Margaretville, have recognized the importance of providing safe, smoke-free air for everyone by creating or expanding tobacco-free outdoor policies. Even outdoors, there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, especially for those with asthma and other health conditions.

Aside from those mentioned above, in the past year, Tobacco Free Communities: Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie has worked with numerous municipalities, employers, and organizations in the tri-county area who have helped made our communities healthier: SUNYs Oneonta, Delhi, and Cobleskill; Oneonta’s Welcome and Narcan Training committees, both started by Oneonta resident Kathy Varadi; the Oneonta Area NAACP; Bassett Cancer Services Provider, with Public Education and Community Outreach Specialist Mitzi Satchett; the Wilmot Cancer Institute’s Center for Rural Health, with liaison Mindy Robinson; St. Peter’s Health Partners; Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie Counties’ Chambers of Commerce; the Oneonta Rotary Club; the Schoharie County Human Services Council, LEAF and SC Alcohol and Substance Abuse Coalition; and Housing Visions.

We want to give a special shout-out to Oneonta High School junior and Reality Check youth engagement program leader Bryson Hubert for educating his community on how the vaping epidemic has impacted his peers and school.

The impact of all these actions by businesses, property owners, and municipalities go beyond supporting smokers and vapers who want to quit. Collectively, they help prevent young people from ever starting and that’s really the key. Nearly nine out of 10 adults who smoke cigarettes daily first started before the age of 18. People who start smoking at an early age are also more likely to develop a severe addiction to nicotine than those who start at a later age.

Community change takes all of us. We look forward to working with current and new partners in 2024. To join us or to learn more, please visit our website, www.GoTobaccoFreeDos.org, e-mail us at tobaccofreedos@gmail.com or call (607) 376-7910. For cessation help, contact the NYS Quitline at www.nysmokefree.com.

Jeanie Orr and Jennifer Hill are program manager and community engagement coordinator, respectively, for Tobacco-Free Communities: Delaware, Otsego & Schoharie.