LIBERTY, NY — Sullivan 180 will hold a CATCH My Breath vaping prevention program training at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 1 at the CVI building.

CATCH stands for Coordinated Approach to Child Health.

Sullivan 180 is seeking educators, youth workers and volunteers who are passionate about community health and are willing to lead this program with young people across the county in school and afterschool settings as well as in youth groups. 

Adults trained will be able to access the complete curriculum and guide young people, grades 5 to 12, through the program. 

“Big Tobacco is looking for their next customers,” said Sullivan 180 managing director Amanda Langseder. It is “spending an average of $1 million every hour of every day in advertising to get their next smokers—our kids. We have a big fight on our hands, really a war against the vaping industry, but we can make a difference now by teaching our youth the dangers of highly addictive e-cigarettes.”

Students could learn to resist their own curiosity, peer and advertising pressure to experiment with e-cigarettes and understand that e-cigarettes are addictive, unhealthy and not as popular as they think. They might influence friends and peers not to use e-cigarettes.

 Sullivan County suffers from the highest rates of smoking in the Hudson Valley, according to the Mid-Hudson Regional Community Health Needs Assessment. 

Tobacco use is started and established primarily during adolescence, according to the CDC.

Education for school students on the dangers of e-cigarettes can play a major part in turning the tide of youth vaping and improving the health of the next generation, a Sullivan 180 spokesperson said.

Partnering organizations Catholic Charities and Reality Check will also be on hand to provide schools with support and additional resources. 

Registration for this training is required; call Sullivan 180 at 845/295-2681 or email info@sullivan180.org.