HJNO Jan/Feb 2020

38 JAN / FEB 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs 2019 Louisiana Youth Tobacco Survey Shows Alarming Rise in Youth E-cigarette Use The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Liv- ing (TFL) released a shared report on e-cigarette use among Louisiana’s youth. Data from the 2019 Louisiana Youth Tobacco Survey (LYTS) shows an alarming rise in e-cigarette use among middle and high school students. In 2019, approximately 32 percent of high school students and 15 percent of middle school students used vape products more than once. These numbers have doubled since 2017 and tripled since 2015. The Louisiana data follows the national trend of increased vape use among youth and young adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has labeled youth vape use an epidemic and is currently investigat- ing more than 1,600 cases of lung injury and 34 deaths connected to vape use. “We strongly encourage Louisiana’s educa- tional leadership and policy makers to heed these alarming youth vape statistics,” said Tonia Moore, director of TFL. “Without regulations for vape products at the state level and addiction coun- seling at the school and community level for our young people, they will continue to receive mis- information from Big Tobacco and vapor indus- try influencers that puts their health in immedi- ate jeopardy.” Additionally, the survey asked students to iden- tify the brand they utilized. Fifty-five percent of high school students who have ever used a vape product reported using a JUUL product. The next leading brand accounted for 16 percent of high school students’ use. JUUL is by far the most well-known brand among youth, and “JUULing” is often synonymous with “vaping.” “One of TFL’s main goals is to prevent the ini- tiation of all tobacco use among young people,” said Moore. “We will continue to work with school districts around the state to train students, par- ents, and educators about the dangers of these products and long-term effects they have on the body and brain development.” As interest around vaping has intensified, TFL has seen an increase in the number of requests for these trainings. The presentations are par- ticularly beneficial because they address com- mon misconceptions about vaping, vaping terminology, and the nicotine content in vape products, among others. To request a training at your school or organization, email tobaccofree- living@lphi.org .  TFL is also in the process of launching an aware- ness campaign called Don’t Get FUULed, which targets youth and young adults. The digital cam- paign conveys similarities between vaping and traditional cigarette use and the tobacco indus- try’s involvement in vaping companies. The cam- paign can be viewed by visiting https://fuul.us/. LSUHealth’s Wennerstrom Awarded RWJ TeamFellowship Ashley Wennerstrom, PhD, MPH, associate pro- fessor at LSU Health New Orleans Schools of Pub- lic Health and Medicine, has been selected as a fellow on one of 15 teams of researchers and community members of the Robert Wood John- son Foundation’s 2019 class of Interdisciplinary Research Leaders. Designed for teams of two researchers and one community leader, the Inter- disciplinary Research Leaders (IRL) Program fos- ters collaborative leadership and supports fellows as they work with their communities to investigate critical issues and apply findings in real time to advance health and equity. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foun- dation, each year, a new class of fellows from across the United States begin the IRL program and has the opportunity to build their leadership skills, implement a community-engaged, action- oriented and rigorous research project, and learn effective strategies to increase the impact of their research through dissemination, communication, and community organizing. Collaborating across sectors and disciplines, the fellows build connec- tions between factors that shape health, well- being and equity—such as education, neighbor- hoods, social services, income and faith. Wennerstrom is a member of Team Louisiana, along with Bruce Reilly, JD, deputy director of Voice of the Experienced (VOTE), and Andrea Armstrong, JD, MPA, professor of law at Loyola University. Team Louisiana will examine the effects of incarceration on health service use in Louisiana, which currently is a global and national leader in incarceration rates. The study will assess current health practices and policies affecting people serving state sentences for criminal convictions, experiences with receiving and delivering health- care in carceral settings, as well as analysis of health services use post-incarceration Team Louisiana’s project includes an environ- mental scan of healthcare and transitional ser- vices delivery in Louisiana’s jails and prisons; qual- itative interviews with people who have been incarcerated people and their healthcare pro- viders; and analysis of whether health services use differs among people who have a history of incarceration. “Incarceration has tremendous impacts on both individual and community health,” notes Wenner- strom. “This support from the Robert Wood John- son Foundation will help us better understand how to mitigate those effects, promote success- ful reentry, and improve the health of communi- ties throughout Louisiana.” CIS Hosts Grand Opening for New Intensive Cardiac Rehab Center Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) hosted a Grand Opening event for its new, first- of-its-kind intensive cardiac rehab facility in Lafay- ette, located at 425 Settlers Trace Boulevard, Suite 200. Intensive Cardiac Rehab at Cardiovascular Insti- tute of the South is designed for patients who have recently experienced a life-changing cardiac event, such as a heart attack. Through a holis- tic approach, the program is tailored to improve health and quality of life and allow for the best possible recovery. This is achieved with a focus on modifying lifestyle behaviors that relate to cardiovascular disease, such as physical activity, Ashley Wennerstrom, PhD, MPH