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Hackensack Meridian Health has invested $1 million in a comprehensive strategy to curb the vaping epidemic through its "Take Vape Away" campaign.
The campaign comprises of several strategies such as initiating a $750,000 public health study conducted by the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University to determine the health impact from vaping and identifying best practices to combat the epidemic; a $200,000 grant program that includes up to $7,000 for local school districts and community organizations to put up and establish measures to stop vaping, such as launching buy-back programs or developing new programs; investing $50,000 to train 50 nurses to reach students at 100 schools to alert them of the risks of e-cigarettes, and a collaboration with the New Jersey Mental Health and Addiction Agencies to educate youth about the dangers of vaping.
"As a father and health care executive for 35 years, I am alarmed at the vaping epidemic, especially among our children, and I believe we must take an aggressive, multi-targeted approach," Robert C. Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health said in a press release. "We are calling on all health networks and youth community groups to join in our effort because the scope and scale of this problem will require all of us to engage."
Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey (BCBSNJ) has donated $100,000 in additional funding to help support the network's grants for schools and youth organizations.
"Nothing is more important to Horizon than protecting New Jersey's health and the current vaping epidemic is a public health crisis requiring all of us who play a role in health care to work together," Allen Karp, Executive Vice President for Health Care Management and Transformation at Horizon BCBSNJ, said in a press release. "The CDC has been clear that minors and young adults should not use e-cigarettes or vaping products, period. The community-based outreach and buy-back program is aimed squarely at educating young New Jerseyans about the dangers of vaping, reversing their use trend and preventing them from experiencing the very serious, potentially life-threatening health consequences of vaping."
