September 17, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 Contact:

Candy Sims, Public Information Officer

(954) 467-4784 / (954) 895-5745

Angela Nicoletti, Broward College Media Relations Specialist

anicolet@broward.edu, 954-201-7939

(Broward County, FL) – All Broward College campuses, including the South Florida Educational Center in Davie, are now tobacco and smoke free zones. The Florida Department of Health’s Tobacco Prevention program worked closely with Broward College to adopt a tobacco free policy and a program to encourage its staff, vendors and students to make a quit smoking plan.  Broward College campuses are located throughout the County, including the South Florida Education Center that encompasses one square mile and includes sites for Nova Southeastern University, Florida Atlantic University, University of Florida, McFatter Technical College and Broward College’s Central Campus.

“I commend Broward College for their efforts to protect the health of all people in Broward County,” said Paula Thaqi, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Florida Department of Health in Broward County.

“Adopting a tobacco and smoke-free policy is our commitment as an institution of higher education to provide a safe and healthy environment for the college community to learn, work and visit,” said Broward College’s Employee Wellness Program Manager, Brenda Bordogna.

An event commemorating the implementation of the policy was held on the first day of the Fall 2015 semester at the College’s A. Hugh Adams Central Campus in order to promote the policy and raise awareness about the dangers of smoking and the many effective local resources available to successfully quit.

Tobacco Free Florida offers the public  3 Free & Easy Ways to Quit:

• CALL: Call the Florida Quitline at 1-877-U-CAN-NOW to speak with a Quit Coach who will help assess a user's addiction and help create a personalized quit plan.
• CLICK: Enroll in the Web Coach®, which will help to create a web-based quit plan unique to each individual user, visit https://www.quitnow.net/florida.
• COME IN: Visit AHEC's website, http://ahectobacco.com, to locate a local AHEC and sign up for Quit Smoking Now group classes.

About Tobacco Free Florida:

The Department's Tobacco Free Florida campaign is a statewide cessation and prevention campaign funded by Florida's tobacco settlement fund. To learn more about Tobacco prevention follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TobaccoFreeFlorida or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tobaccofreefla.

The Department works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts. Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.floridahealth.gov.

AboutBroward College:
Serving more than 68,000 students annually, Broward College provides residents with certificate programs, two-year university-transfer degrees, two-year career degrees and baccalaureate degrees in selected programs. The mission of the college is to provide high-quality educational programs and services that are affordable and accessible to a diverse community of learners. For more information, visit www.broward.edu