First 5 Yuba County strives to improve access to smoking cessation services in Yuba and surrounding counties

YUBA COUNTY, CA (MPG) - First 5 Yuba County is working on many new programs to help make Yuba County a great place to live. The following is just a little information about the smoking cessation program and services First 5 Yuba County has to offer.

 First 5 Yuba County’s Building Resilient Families program, a California Tobacco Control Program (CTCP) funded program, aims to address tobacco related health disparities and support social norm change surrounding tobacco usage. This is a comprehensive and dyadic whole child-whole family approach is the backbone of First 5 Yuba County.  By enhancing Tobacco screening and cessation services, supporting providers to be ACES aware and conducting early developmental screenings, we can promote parent resilience, provide concrete support in times of crisis, and link families to local services for care and treatment.

 Working in conjunction with some of Yuba, Sutter and Surrounding County’s Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers (FQHC’s) and Family Serving Agencies, First 5 Yuba County strives to improve access to smoking cessation services in Yuba and surrounding counties.

 Specifically, this project explores building upon existing systems to integrate proven early screening, intervention and treatment supports within our county’s obstetric and pediatric settings. In addition, Home Visiting agencies will be used as a vehicle to reach our county’s most rural, and sometimes isolated, women and their children who are using or exposed to 2^nd or 3^rd hand smoke

 In addition to enhancing Tobacco screening and cessation services, First 5 Yuba is collaborating with iconic Yuba County events and venues to provide visitors with a smoke free experience.  The Gold Sox ballfield, worked in collaboration with First 5 Yuba County to enhance their smoke-free environment by installing Smoke-Free Signage as well as post A-frames at the ballpark entrance during First 5 Thursdays. This year’s Peach Festival also participated in going Smoke and Vape free by posting signage throughout the event. (see attached photos). Yuba County events and venues that serve our children and families are showing a united front against the harms of smoking and secondhand smoke, continuing to make Yuba County a great place to live, work and play.

 Yuba county has an 18.4% Smoking Prevalence Rate, much higher than the State’s 11.2 % Smoking Prevalence Rate and even higher than the Nation’s 16.1 %. “Tobacco use accounts for nearly half a million deaths in the U.S. each year and is the leading cause of lung cancer, according to the American Lung Association. Even those around tobacco smokers aren’t safe from its harmful effects. Since 1964, smoking-related illnesses have claimed over 20 million lives in the U.S., 2.5 million of which belonged to nonsmokers who developed diseases merely from secondhand-smoke exposure.” From “The Real cost of Smoking by State” by Adam McCann.

 For FREE, personalized, confidential quit services visit www.nobutts.org or text “I Can Quit” to 66819. Beginning September 1, 2021 the new website: www.KickItCA.org or text “I Can Quit” to 66819”