The Tobacco Education and Prevention Coalition for Porter County — affiliated with Valparaiso University — has recently received two grants to continue its work in building a healthier community. One grant totalling $310,000 comes from the Indiana Department of Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation, and has been awarded to Valparaiso University on a two-year basis for the past 25 years. The second, from the HUB Coalition of Porter County, totals $14,000.
“The Coalition has been a fantastic chance for our campus and the community to make a difference across the county,” Elizabeth Gmitter, Ph.D., PT, MS, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions, said. “Our students, faculty, and partners have all done incredible work, and we’re thrilled to continue those efforts.”
Benefiting Campus and the Community
On Valpo’s campus, a new tobacco policy task force is being put together to assess the current campus tobacco policy, making sure everything is up-to-date with the rise of vaping. This task force will be a collaborative effort between Valpo faculty, staff and students from various Colleges and departments across campus.
Valpo students have played several key roles in the coalition’s efforts. Over the years, graduate and undergraduate students have designed campaign materials, taught tobacco prevention at local K-12 schools, and more. Public Health graduate Anna Rafac ’24 interned with the program to participate in Standardized Tobacco Assessment of Retail Settings biennial survey to collect county-level data on tobacco products and point-of-sale advertising in retail establishments in over 130 tobacco retailers in Porter County.
“The data Anna collected allowed us to educate local community members and professionals through a campus conference and other education events about how tobacco products are priced and marketed to target teens and populations most impacted by tobacco at the point-of-sale,” Carolyn Higgins, program director of the Tobacco Education and Prevention Coalition for Porter County, said.
Assisting the Youth
Other efforts to reach out to Porter County children include the “Catch My Breath” vaping prevention program; a peer-reviewed set of four courses designed to educate young people on the risks and consequences of electronic tobacco use. Coalition staff and community partners are available to visit classrooms or to train local teachers to administer the course themselves.
The Coalition is also working with schools to review and improve their own tobacco policies, advocating for a restorative approach to the issue and ensuring affected students have the resources they need to overcome the problem.
Another upcoming effort will include hiring “The Tall Cop,” a.k.a. Jermaine Galloway, to perform another retail assessment, as well as to work with local school resource officers, juvenile justice representatives, therapists, etc. on how best to serve the youth in the community.
General Resources and Assistance
Another major goal of the coalition is to connect community members with the resources they need to leave smoking behind for good. One major resource the Coalition promotes is Quit Now Indiana — a free, public hotline that offers information and resources for anyone trying to break the habit. By calling the hotline at 1-800-784-8669, or visiting their website at quitnowindiana.com, those looking to quit smoking can find free support, education, and resources to make their goal a reality, and can get that support as many times as they need.
“It’s probably the toughest addiction to get to the bottom of,” Higgins said. “If they aren’t successful the first time, they are welcome to keep trying until they are. We know that people don’t always quit the first time around. We’d like them to, but it’s not the norm. They can sign up for those resources over and over again.”
Another version of the program, “Vape Free Indiana,” is also available for teens, and can be found at in.gov/vapefreeindiana/. Funding from the grants allows the Coalition to share information and resources at local health fairs and events in addition to outreach to various community organizations and the populations they serve, including food pantries and youth-serving organizations, as well as the Quit Now Indiana resources. They also work local businesses to ensure employees are aware of any available cessation benefits offered through their organization.
All funding for the Indiana Department of Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation grant comes from the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, while the HUB Coalition itself provides the $14,000 grant. The coalition is thankful to receive funding to continue their mission of promoting tobacco control initiatives to prevent and reduce tobacco use through education for the citizens of Porter County. The ultimate goal is to have a community where all community members are free of tobacco and secondhand smoke, regardless of where they live, learn, work, and play. For more information on the Coalition, its goals, and its efforts around the county, click here or contact .
