Tobacco Programs

The Florida Department of Health in Glades County's (DOH-Glades) Tobacco Prevention Program combats tobacco in the county partnering with businesses, prevention and education agencies, and area schools.

DOH-Glades, along with the Tobacco Free Partnership of Glades County and Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT), works in the following areas in its efforts to create a tobacco-free Glades County:

• School Campus Policy: We are working to create one comprehensive, 12-component tobacco policy at all K-12 schools in Glades County.
• Eliminating the Marketing of Tobacco Products to Kids: We are working to pass resolutions throughout the county to eliminate the sale of flavored tobacco products that target kids. We are also increasing awareness of retail advertising tactics used by Big Tobacco to lure youth.
• Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing: Unintentional exposure to secondhand smoke in apartments and condos is a real danger to tenant health. Property managers can save money, increase marketability, and protect health tenants by implementing smoke-free policies.
• Increasing Access to Cessation Services & Employer Cessation Coverage: Quitting can be very hard, but it's not impossible. We connect individuals to the help, resources, and support that give them the best chance to quit for good. We help employers encourage their workers to quit by guiding them in the implementation of tobacco-free policies and promoting "help quitting" services in workplaces.

Electronic Cigarettes

The emergence of electronic cigarettes (also known as e-cigarettes, vapors, vaporizers, or nicotine vaporizers) has inspired considerable debate and discussion regarding their safety, ability to help smokers quit, and the risks they pose to children and teens. While the makers of e-cigarettes claim they are a safe alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes, there is uncertainty as to whether e-cigarettes are a safe alternative to smoking and Floridians should be very cautious. The Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida advises consumers to wait for reliable scientific evidence on their safety and effectiveness to become available before using e-cigarettes.

Learn more about E-Cigarettes.

Say No! 3 Ways to Quit Tobacco Use

Over-the-Phone
The Florida Quitline is available to anyone living in Florida who wants to try to quit smoking. The program offers the following services:

• Counseling sessions
• Self-help materials
• Counseling & materials in English and Spanish (Translation service for other languages)
• TDD service for hearing impaired
• Pharmacotherapy assistance

If you or someone you know wants to be free from tobacco, please call the Quitline at: 1-877-U-CAN-NOW (1-877-822-6669).      

Online
Vist TobaccoFreeFlorida.com for more information. 

In-Person
Quit Smoking Now: A free 6-session program developed by ex-smokers for those who want to become ex-smokers, located at the Hendry Regional Medical Center “Where it’s All about Getting Better.”

Facilitators are trained tobacco cessation specialists and counselors who provide participants with the knowledge, techniques, and support necessary to quit using tobacco.

For more information, call 863-983-1123.

Students Working Against Tobacco

Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) is Florida's statewide youth organization working to mobilize, educate and equip Florida youth to revolt against and de-glamorize Big Tobacco. These students are a united movement of empowered youth working towards a tobacco free future.

The mission is simple: Just share the facts and let you decide for yourself.

SWAT empowers Florida youth to educate their peers about the manipulative tactics of Big Tobacco so that together we can take a stand and make a change for the next generation.

There is a group of people on one side selling a product (cigarettes, cigars, hookah, chewing tobacco, and more) that some teens are using. Those products are highly addictive and many teens that begin using them are never able to quit. On the other side, groups like SWAT are working to make sure as many teens as possible never start using tobacco.

Now that you know a little more about us, it is time to help fight back and save a generation of Floridians from tobacco addiction. You must be in middle or high school age 11-17 to join. Call 850-595-6506 to find out what you can do to be a part of the movement. 

Resources