LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — Mercy Health St. Rita’s is working to reduce nicotine and tobacco use in the region.
The hospital hosted a tobacco symposium bringing together community partners to focus on education, prevention and quitting resources. Organizers said the goal was to connect local organizations with tools and information they can share with the people they serve.
Speakers discussed the effects of vaping and nicotine on the body and mental health, as well as efforts to limit youth access to tobacco products. Community health experts said one of the biggest challenges is that nicotine addiction is often underestimated.
“In the community, we have a lot of people that struggle with addiction, and people might not think of nicotine as an addiction. It really is though, it’s very hard to quit. So number one, getting youth that start to quit early, or if they haven’t started, to get them to not even begin in the first place. Then, get those people that have been addicted for years some support,” said Catherine Sevitz, community health coordinator at Mercy Health St. Rita’s.
Several free programs are available for people looking to quit smoking.
For more information, visit activateallencounty.com.
