Virtual forum targets youth vaping

A virtual forum aimed at preventing youth vaping will be held Jan. 31.

The Panhandle Health District has partnered with Parents Against Vaping e-cigarettes, a national advocacy and education organization, to provide the event with speakers covering topics on vaping, its effect on youth, and tips on how to have a conversation with your child about the dangers of vaping.

PAVe is a grassroots organization founded in 2018 by three moms as a response to the youth vaping epidemic.

“Our goal is not only to provide education to parents and others who work with youth but to also inspire the formation of a PAVe chapter here in north Idaho,” said Lindsey McCurdy, youth health educator for vaping prevention programs at PHD. “Vapes often contain flavor that kids find appealing. Unfortunately, they also often contain high levels of nicotine and other chemicals that are harmful to children.”

The virtual event will feature Dr. Galiatsatos, director of the Tobacco Treatment Clinic at Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Jade Harkness, pulmonary function technician and respiratory therapist at Madison Memorial Hospital.

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, in 2018, one in five high school students reported using e-cigarettes in the past month.

“There is a common misconception that e-cigarettes are somehow safer than traditional cigarettes,” said McCurdy. “The truth is that for children, there is no safe use of products containing nicotine.”

The virtual event we will feature Dr. Galiatsatos, Director of the Tobacco Treatment Clinic at Johns Hopkins Medicine and Jade Harkness, pulmonary function technician and respiratory therapist at Madison Memorial Hospital.

To register, go online to "Ask The Experts: Youth Vaping, Health Harms" bit.ly/3XT5rSA.