Join Tobacco-Free Take Action!

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 15, 2011) — The following message was sent to the University of Kentucky campus community by Anthany Beatty and Ellen Hahn, co-chairs of the UK Tobacco-Free Task Force.

Did you know that since UK’s campus-wide tobacco-free policy took effect in November 2009, sales of nicotine replacement have doubled at the Kentucky Clinic Pharmacy? Employees and students are five times more likely to enroll in our tobacco treatment programs now that we are tobacco-free!

While demand for help in treating nicotine addiction is at an all-time high, we need to do more to improve compliance with our policy.

We need your help! UK’s Tobacco-free Task Force is launching a new opportunity for volunteers who want to be part of the solution to increase compliance with our Tobacco-Free policy.

Join Tobacco-Free Take Action!
, a team of employees and students who are committed to improving compliance with our tobacco-free policy. You will be trained in proper approaches for reminding and reporting violators. We believe that Compliance is Everyone’s Business. Yet, we know that many are not comfortable or do not know how to handle violations.

Getting involved in Tobacco-Free Take Action! is a great way to serve the UK community. You might suggest that your group or organization join Take Action! as a community service project. Or turn your involvement in Take Action! into a class project!

Please contact Dr. Melinda Ickes at Melinda.ickes@uky.edu to sign up for Tobacco-Free Take Action! today.

For questions about the new initiative or UK’s tobacco-free policy, go to www.uky.edu/Tobaccofree or contact Ellen Hahn at ejhahn00@email.uky.edu or Anthany Beatty at abeat2@email.uky.edu.

Anthany Beatty
Ellen Hahn
Co-Chairs, Tobacco-Free Task Force