UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County campus will host a community conversation on youth vaping, e-cigarettes, and medical ethics on Tuesday, March 3 from 7-9 p.m.
The collaboration led by the campus, Baraboo Rotary, and SSM Health - St. Clare Hospital - Baraboo, and including state and local experts from the School District of Baraboo, City of Baraboo, South Central Wisconsin Tobacco-Free Coalition, the Baraboo Police Department, and other area agencies, groups, and elected officials will lead attendees through conversations on the growing impact of vaping and vaping devices including e-cigarettes, and consider public policy options to address this growth; plus reports and observations from public health and education officials, and a discussion of ethical concerns that help frame discussions.
The popularity and ubiquity of vaping devices and materials among persons under 18 is growing faster and faster every year. The Truth Initiative, which advocates against tobacco use, reports that e-cigarette use among high school students nationwide has grown from 11% in 2017 to 27.5% in 2019, and that 10.5% of middle school-aged students also report using e-cigarettes in the last 30 days. How and when did these devices and products first appear? What steps can communities take to stop this growth? What are we observing in Baraboo, and across neighboring counties? What are the ethical implications to legal adults of possible public policy steps to prevent underage use?
Featuring school system employees, healthcare providers, public officials, and ethics experts, the March 3 forum on the UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County campus will offer information, and facilitate discussions to help participants and leaders as all face this growing crisis
Ed Janairo,dean of UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County will facilitate and host the evening. This public conversation is open to all.
Confirmed participants include:
- Tara Noye, the South Central Wisconsin Tobacco Free Coordinator, who will offer current research and statistics and a history of the vaping market
- School District of Baraboo District Administrator Dr. Lori M. Mueller and staff members Jen Lombardi (Secondary School Social Worker), Tara Hayes, School Nurse at Jack Young Middle School, and Amanda Sabol, Student Resource Officer at Jack Young Middle School from the Baraboo Police Department
- Baraboo Mayor Mike Palm
- State Representative Dave Considine
- Professor Dale Murray of the UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County and Father Patrick Norris, Priest Ethicist with SSM Health, to offer ethical perspectives on the relationship between freedom and public health
For disability accommodations, contact Beverly Simonds at 608-355-5222 or simondsb@uwplatt.edu