Kentucky Wesleyan College to join Great American Smoke-Out with nicotine cessation program

Owensboro Health Community Initiatives Grant provides support

Kentucky Wesleyan College is joining the nationwide effort to eliminate the use of tobacco and nicotine products with the kick-off of its nicotine cessation program on November 17, the day of the Great American Smoke-Out.  

Designated as a smoke-free campus since 2011 and a tobacco-free campus since 2020, the College is taking its efforts one step further by offering resources to students, staff and faculty to stop using nicotine-based products such as vapes, cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. With support from Owensboro Health’s Community Initiatives Grant, KWC has added two trained tobacco cessation specialists who will provide counseling, interventions, educational resources and free tobacco replacement products.  The KWC specialists are Dr. Sara Doolin-Thompson ’94 (Wesleyan Urgent Care) and Michael McComas (director of student involvement and orientation).

“We are pleased to offer these services in a convenient, familiar environment, thanks to the assistance from Owensboro Health,” said Rebecca McQueen-Ruark, vice president of student affairs and dean of students. “Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and increase heart rate, speed up other bodily functions and have the potential to cause overdose or become a habit. According to the CDC, 80% of Americans consume caffeine daily, and it is in our students’ best interests to eliminate the use of nicotine; including our athletes, who comprise more than 50% of our enrollment.”