For Ohio University students looking to nip tobacco in the bud, the Campus Involvement Center will offer courses to help them quit smoking.
The cessation classes, which are complimentary, were not formed in light of the university’s decision to go tobacco-free.
“Those (classes) are in place regardless of the tobacco planning,” Ryan Lombardi, vice president for Student Affairs, said in an email. “Obviously (the classes) will need to grow as we approach our three-year timeframe of becoming tobacco-free.”
Previously, budget cuts prevented a full-time staff to oversee the services.
An individual could theoretically save slightly more than $1,800 per year if he or she quit smoking, according to a Campus Involvement Center promotional brochure.
Classes will take place starting Oct. 31 in Baker University Center 233 and will run until Nov. 21, to correspond with the Great American Smokeout, a day dedicated to those who have quit tobacco.
Each day, two sessions will be offered from noon-1 p.m. and 5-6 p.m.
“To complete the tobacco cessation program, you will need to attend one class per week for four weeks,” said Ann Addington, assistant director for health promotion.
At the end of the program, students will receive a voucher redeemable at the pharmacy at Campus Care for a complimentary two-week supply of nicotine gum or patches.
A box of nicotine gum or patches costs around $22, said Dan Hudson, a pharmacist at Campus Care.
Though faculty can attend the classes, only students will be allowed to receive the vouchers because that portion of the program is funded with an estimated $1,750 from the university’s uFund — money collected from Community Standards fees.
“Because the uFund is generated in student fee money from (Community Standards), we can’t offer free nicotine replacement therapy to staff members,” said Terry Koons, associate director for the Campus Involvement Center for health promotion.
The cessation program is funded with $9,000 through the Campus Involvement Center’s Health Promotion department, which oversees student programming, Koons said.
Koons advised finding a friend to take along to the classes.
“It helps when a friend is also trying to quit because it increases chances of the individual quitting,” Koons said.
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