Johnson County Schools will soon have a new way to deal with students struggling with tobacco and nicotine use both in school and at home.
The Johnson County School System via partnership with the Johnson County Health department was one of 15 schools systems that was chosen across the United States to participate in the American Lung Associations INDEPTH program.
The Johnson County School System and Johnson County Health Department entered an Memorandum of Understanding to participate in the INDEPTH program with approval by superintendent Thom Cochran. The INDEPTH program is the American Lung Association’s tobacco and nicotine alternative to suspension program. The Lung Association working with the Research & Evaluation Group at Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) is conducting the pilot program INDEPTH in order to evaluate the utility and efficacy of this program.
The program will be completed with two 2 ½ hour sessions held on April 25 and 29 during Eagle Enrichment at Johnson Central High School. The program will be facilitated by Mary Beth Castle, JCHD Health Educator and Freedom From Smoking facilitator. She will provide the curriculum and plan sessions using the provided pilot curriculum. She will follow all instructions in the INDEPTH guide to deliver sessions to participants.
Participants will be required to attend and participate in sessions provided, as well as complete an online anonymous survey to provide feedback on the INDEPTH program and their own readiness to quit. Students will be ask to provide their email address if the wish to receive the survey participation incentive (a $5 electronic gift card). Emails will NOT be shared with anyone outside of the evaluation team at Public Health Management Corporation. The email will NOT be linked to survey responses. Survey responses will remain anonymous. Email addresses will only be used to distribute electronic gift cards.