Resolution - University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Board of Directors
Commending the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center's 
Tobacco-Free Campus Policy
September 5, 2006

WHEREAS the Oklahoma State Board of Health has declared tobacco use as Oklahoma's leading cause of preventable death and number one public health problem; and

WHEREAS the U.S. Surgeon General has concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke and even brief exposure can cause immediate harm; and

WHEREAS the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals, Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, Oklahoma State Medical Association, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, and numerous other organizations have joined together to address Oklahoma's devastating tobacco use problem; and

WHEREAS Oklahoma's success in addressing its devastating tobacco use problem is dependent upon effective policy and programs, including the reduction or elimination of tobacco in the workplace, to protect Oklahomans of all ages and populations from exposure to secondhand smoke; and

WHEREAS the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), as Oklahoma's premier institution with a mission to educate the future health care providers of the state, is committed to the promotion of good health, especially among its students, employees, patients and other visitors to the campus; and

WHEREAS the OUHSC has implemented a policy declaring that the use of all tobacco products is prohibited in OUHSC facilities and anywhere on the OUHSC grounds or campus; and 

WHEREAS a learning environment is a persuasive teacher which can demonstrate, reinforce, and support the lessons taught in the classroom; and 

WHEREAS tobacco-free policies increase quit attempts and decrease consumption of tobacco products, particularly for the majority who want to quit tobacco; and

WHEREAS the OUHSC is joining other health organizations in promoting true health via the establishment of effective tobacco use prevention and cessation policies;

BE IT NOW RESOLVED that the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust commends the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center's adoption of a tobacco-free campus policy to protect students, employees, patients, and other visitors from the damaging and potentially deadly effects of tobacco use and secondhand smoke.

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