Sutter County receives grant focused on tobacco, vaping use by students

Oct. 31—Sutter County officials recently announced that its public health branch will use a state grant to focus on education and outreach at three school campuses and tobacco product retailers in the county to help reduce the rate of tobacco use and the impact of vaping by K-12 grade students.

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

"With a tobacco use rate of 12% of the population, our smoking rate is higher than the state average," Sutter County District 3 Supervisor Mike Ziegenmeyer said in a statement. "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."

The county will use the grant money over the course of four years for outreach and education programs at Sutter High School, Brittan Elementary School and Feather River Academy High School, according to Christa McCauley, the Sutter County Public Health education and promotion coordinator who developed the grant application.

"This is an exciting opportunity for Sutter County Public Health," McCauley said in a statement. "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."

Officials noted that providing this information in area schools also could reach the parents of students.

"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," Virginia Burns, director of Student Support and Outreach with Sutter County Superintendent of Schools, said in a statement. "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."

Officials said the "multi-prong approach" includes supplementing a school's existing anti-vaping efforts with informational postings at various locations on campus. The approach also will create a referral program and provide cessation resources to students who need assistance to stop vaping.

"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," the county said. "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."