SUTTER COUNTY, CA (MPG) - In an effort to reduce the rate of tobacco use and the impact of vaping K-12 grade students, the Public Health Branch of Sutter County Health and Human Services will use a state grant to focus its education and outreach on three school campuses and the retailers of tobacco products in Sutter County.

The $396,000 grant to Sutter County Public Health from the California Department of Justice is part of $21 million in grants awarded to 37 local government agencies in California to reduce tobacco use among school-aged children, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta. The grant funds come from a portion of the revenue from taxes on tobacco products approved by voters in 2016.

Sutter County Third District Supervisor Mike Ziegenmeyer said the County is pleased to receive the Department of Justice Tobacco Grant Program Award.

“With a tobacco use rate of 12% of the population, our smoking rate is higher than the state average,” Ziegenmeyer noted. “This grant will be used for outreach and education, but much more needs to be done to address the concerning rise of vaping among school-aged youth, even among children as young as third graders.

“Our Public Health Department is committed to keeping youth in our community happy, healthy and tobacco free,” Ziegenmeyer said.

Sutter County will use the money over the course of four years for outreach and education programs at Sutter High School and Brittan Elementary School in the community of Sutter, as well as at the Feather River Academy High School operated by the Sutter County Superintendent of Schools Office in Yuba City, according to Christa McCauley, the Sutter County Public Health Education and Promotion Coordinator who developed the successful grant application. Providing this information in the schools has the added potential to reach the parents of the students.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Sutter County Public Health,” McCauley said. “This grant can further our existing efforts to reduce tobacco use among school-aged children and decrease the impact of vaping within schools, while also building a supportive partnership with our local small businesses and retailers in protecting our youth.”

“We’re proud to see Sutter County Public Health be awarded with this opportunity to expand resources to address the youth tobacco and vaping concerns in our community,” said Virginia Burns, Director of Student Support and Outreach with Sutter County Superintendent of Schools.  “We continue to see an increased need to educate our youth and community on the risks and dangers of tobacco and vaping and are excited to grow our partnerships in these efforts.”

The multi-prong approach includes supplementing a school’s existing anti-vaping efforts with informational postings at various locations on campus, and creating a referral program and providing cessation resources to students who need assistance to stop vaping rather than engaging in punitive actions.

Efforts with retailers will involve outreach and education about the existing state and local laws around the sale of tobacco products to minors with an emphasis on the recent flavors ban. While some communities are using the grant funds for enforcement efforts, the goal of the Sutter County program is to develop a cooperative relationship with retailers to protect the children of Sutter County.

If successful, the program could be a model for future efforts at additional Sutter County school campuses.