Tobacco Prevention

The Florida Department of Health in Indian River County is dedicated to helping prevent and reduce the use of tobacco products by residents of Indian River County.

Supporting the Tobacco-Free Community Partnership, we work collaboratively with various community partnerships. Partnerships include:

• Substance Awareness Council
• Youth Advisory/Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) Board
• Florida Department of Health's Tobacco Free Florida Program

Through these partnerships we participate in the planning and implementation of tobacco prevention and control activities involving youth.

Tobacco Facts

• Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S.
• Cigarettes cause more than 480,000 deaths annually, including deaths from secondhand smoke
• Exposure to secondhand smoke causes nearly 42,000 deaths each year among adults in the U.S.
• Life expectancy for smokers is at least 10 years shorter than for nonsmokers
• Smokeless tobacco is a known cause of human cancer. Nicotine in smokeless tobacco may increase the risk for sudden death from a condition where the heart does not beat properly (ventricular arrhythmias), making the heart pumps little or no blood to the body's organs

Resources to Quit Smoking

Free smoking cessation classes are available for those trying to quit smoking. To register for upcoming classes, call 877-819-2357.

Florida Quit

• Toll-free telephone-based tobacco-use cessation hotline
• Free 5 proactive counseling sessions (8 for pregnant women)
• Discount coupons for nicotine replacement therapy
• Self-help materials available in English, Spanish, and Haitian-Creole
• Help for those who have already quit smoking in an effort to prevent a relapse