Frequently asked questions about Penn's 'tobacco-less' culture

Q. What does a “tobacco-less” culture mean?
A. Penn hopes to shift the way that faculty, staff, and students on campus think about tobacco use. A tobacco-less environment is one that encourages tobacco cessation and provides people with the necessary tools to eliminate tobacco from their lives.
Q. Why is Penn promoting a tobacco-less campus?
A. The University is committed to creating a healthy, safe environment for every member of the campus community. Promoting a tobacco-less campus is a philosophical shift in how the University views the problem of tobacco use. By employing this approach, Penn remains committed to respecting people, while, at the same time, reducing the impact of the tobacco epidemic. Additionally, litter from cigarette butts has a negative impact on the environment. Eliminating or reducing the number of cigarette butts around Penn’s campus relates to the University’s sustainability goal of minimizing waste.

Q. Why not call this “smoke-free”?
A. According to Frank Leone, director of director of Penn’s Comprehensive Smoking Treatment Programs, the concepts of “tobacco-free” and “smoke-free” are terms used frequently in the regulatory community and convey a top-down or punitive approach to smoking cessation. Penn hopes the term “tobacco-less” demonstrates a different approach: a University environment where the norms simply do not include tobacco.

Q. Is there a specific policy in place that bans smoking and tobacco use across campus?
A. The University, in adherence with the City of Philadelphia’s Clean Indoor Air Worker Protection Law, prohibits smoking in all University buildings and facilities, including but not limited to all classrooms, residences, laboratories, work areas, common or lounge areas, conference or meeting rooms, hallways, dining facilities, and restrooms. In addition, smoking is prohibited within 20 feet of any entrance to a University facility or building. The policy covers all smoking methods, including but not limited to electronic smoking devices, such as electronic cigarettes, cigars, and pipes (e-cigarettes, e-cigars, e-pipes).
[Source: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/resources/policy/other/smoking]

Q. Is smoking allowed in outdoor spaces?
A. Smoking is prohibited within 20 feet of an entrance to any facility or building. The use of tobacco is also prohibited in designated outdoor spaces that include but are not limited to Penn Park, College Green, and Locust Walk. Campus maps will indicate the tobacco-less areas across the University.

Q. Why is there not an outright tobacco ban in all spaces on campus?
A. The University is taking a new approach to tobacco cessation, moving from punitive policies to a supportive environment that provides people with resources and encouragement to live tobacco-less lives.
Leone explains that research has shown that as people age, their motivations are derived less from external factors, and more from internal ones, or what makes the most sense for them. Penn is encouraging that level of thinking around tobacco use policies, such that the policies no longer rely on external rules or regulations, and instead rely on human nature.

Q. Will people be ticketed or cited if they smoke in outdoor campus spaces?
A. No. Under the current policy, the enforcement is the responsibility of all members and guests of the Penn community. The University is shifting the approach to tobacco cessation from a punitive one to a supportive environment. Smoking is the issue—not smokers.

Q. How should I respond when I see someone smoking?
A. Members of the University community are encouraged to convey the message that Penn is a tobacco-less environment and can point people to several campus tobacco cessation resources, such as the Comprehensive Smoking Treatment Program at Penn Medicine.

Q. Is there a timeframe for this initiative?
A. There is no formal timeframe for this initiative, but the University hopes it evolves and is embraced by the entire Penn community.

Q. How will the University know when it is successful?
A. Penn is not using traditional metrics to count the number of people who quit smoking, but will measure success when people begin to adopt a tobacco-less environment as the accepted campus culture.

Q. Will this tobacco-less policy affect my benefits in any way?

A. No. Benefits-eligible employees can save money on smoking cessation expenses through Penn’s healthcare options:
•    Penn’s Prescription Plan: People may opt for 90-day supplies of smoking cessation medications (Zyban and Chantix) available through the prescription drug mail-order program. A 90-day supply of Bupropion (generic Zyban) is available for a copay. Learn more at www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/benefits/health/medical/prescription.
•    Independence Blue Cross: Members can be reimbursed up to $150 per year for completing an approved tobacco cessation program and for nicotine replacement products or medications prescribed to help you quit. IBC also offers support through its “Quit and Fit” program.  Members can use the reimbursement program, or “Quit and Fit,” but not both in one year. For more information, call 1-800-ASK-BLUE or visit the Health & Wellness section at http://www.ibx.com/login.
•    Aetna: Members can receive qualifying tobacco cessation counseling options (by telephone, in a group, or as an individual) by working with their primary care physician or going to an in-network retail clinic location. Four visits and/or one 90-day supply of medications equal one cessation attempt, with two cessation attempts per year covered. For more information, go to www.aetna.com.
•    Penn’s Health Care Flexible Spending Account: With a prescription, the cost of OTC smoking cessation medications is an eligible medical expense. OTC products include, but are not limited to: Commit, Endit, Habitrol, NicoDerm, Nicorette, and Smoke Away. Learn more at https://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/benefits/health/fsa/health.
[Source: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/worklife/healthy/quitsmoking]

Q. Where can I go for information on how to quit smoking?

A. The University has plenty of resources for people who wish to live a tobacco-less life.
•    For benefits-eligible faculty and staff, the Division of Human Resources offers a free and confidential tobacco cessation telephone coaching program, including up to 12 weeks of no-cost nicotine replacement therapy delivered to your door, through StayWell, the University’s third-party wellness vendor. Learn more by contacting StayWell at 1-855-428-6324 or http://penn.staywell.com.
•    In addition, the Penn Smoking Treatment Program (Penn Stop) is a clinical program designed to help people quit smoking by understanding the influence that nicotine exerts on the brain, and finding stress-free ways to gain control of the problem. Participants meet with a specially trained doctor and counselor, and develop a personalized plan for ongoing care. Check with your insurance provider to determine applicable co-pays or referral requirements. To learn more about the Penn Stop program, visit http://penn-stop.com.
•    Penn benefits-eligible employees may also save money on smoking cessation expenses through their healthcare offerings. Learn more at https://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/worklife/healthy/quitsmoking.
•    Students can find more resources here: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/shs/smokingcessation.php.

Q. Why should students care since very few Penn students identify as smokers?
A. The college years are a time of increased risk for smoking initiation and transition to regular tobacco use. Recent data suggests that regular or daily smoking may develop between ages 20 and 21 even if an individual first tries or experiments with smoking before the age of 18 (Green et al., 2007).
 
Q. Does Penn have programs directed at students who smoke?
A. Yes. Student Health Service runs the WholeBreath Smoking Cessation program that is specifically aimed at the student population. In this program, students may schedule an appointment with a health and wellness educator who can discuss a holistic approach to quitting, including identifying patterns of a smoking habit, and providing strategies and techniques to make quitting successful. Appointments can be made by calling 215-746-3535. Additionally, the Penn Student Insurance Plan (PSIP) offers smoking cessation benefits. The plan covers eight individual or group visits per policy year for screening and counseling services to aid in tobacco product cessation; prescription drug benefits include smoking cessation aids, and PSIP offers, for free, Healthy Lifestyle Coaching to become tobacco-free.

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