Lackawanna College Receives Grant to Pursue 100% Tobacco-Free Campus Initiative

Lackawanna College will receive an $8,000 grant from the American Cancer Society (ACS), as part of their Tobacco-Free Generation Campus Initiative (TFGCI), supported by CVS Health Foundation, to pursue a 100 percent tobacco-free campus. In addition, the College will also receive technical assistance through webinars, monthly calls, expert consultations and in-person training. The College is one of nine higher education institutions in Pennsylvania to receive this grant.

Lackawanna College will use the funds to conduct surveys to assess the College community’s exposure to second-hand smoke and views on tobacco, develop and present tobacco education events and offer a range of ongoing programs advocating for a tobacco-free policy. Tobacco cessation support and referral information will be made available to students, faculty and staff at Lackawanna’s main campus and six satellite centers. The College hopes to institute a tobacco-free policy by May 2020.

“Being a part of the Tobacco-Free Generation Campus Initiative will help the College protect the health of students, faculty and surrounding buildings and grounds,” said Mike Rickert, Lackawanna College Manager of Fitness Programming.  “It will likewise give us an opportunity to expand our tobacco cessation services to those looking to quit.”

The American Cancer Society has provided grants to 97 U.S. post-secondary institutions, affecting over 1.4 million students and countless staff, faculty and visitors on those campuses to advocate for, adopt and implement 100 percent smoke- and tobacco-free campus policies, including e-cigarettes.

ACS TFGCI grant recipients are part of CVS Health’s five-year, $50 million initiative to create the first, tobacco-free generation.