A new campaign launched on Wednesday, Oct. 21, in Philadelphia is tackling the problem of teenagers who use e-cigarettes.<\/p>\n
The Philadelphia Department of Health launched its\u00a0\u201cKick the Vape\u201d<\/a>\u00a0campaign in an attempt to curtail vaping among teens.<\/p>\n \u201cSmoking nicotine remains the No. 1 cause of preventable death, disease, and disability in the United States,\u201d Dr. Samara Jinks-Chang of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia\u00a0told CBS News Philadelphia<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe tobacco industry wants youth to be hooked,\u201d Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson added. \u201cThat is their model right back in the day with cigarettes, and people are hooked for life. Now, it’s vaping, and you’re hooked for life.\u201d<\/p>\n Harmony Ellis has\u00a0advocated<\/a>\u00a0for students who want help quitting vaping since she was a freshman at Freire Charter High School in Rittenhouse.\u00a0Ellis told the\u00a0<\/a>PhillyVoice<\/a>\u00a0she has friends who are \u201cdealing with major health issues because of vaping.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The city’s health department has teamed up with the School District of Philadelphia, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the\u00a0EX Program<\/a>, organized by the nonprofit\u00a0Truth Initiative<\/a>\u00a0with the Mayo Clinic, to connect youth with resources for quitting.\u00a0<\/p>\n The citywide initiative \u201cDon’t Get Finessed,\u201d\u00a0slang<\/a>\u00a0for don’t get duped or tricked, includes a social media effort encouraging youth ready to quit to text \u201cKickTheVape\u201d to 88709 for free, 24\/7 confidential support.<\/p>\n The campaign is part of the larger \u201cKick the Vape<\/a>\u201d campaign that will have multiple, related initiatives over the coming years to inform people about the dangers of vaping and help them find ways to quit.<\/p>\n