gphealth.org
“Children are being targetedwithmessaging of ‘they taste good, they couldn’t be harmful, right?’ I amhearing of kids as young as 8, 9 or 10 years old using these products, which has to have a negative impact on their lungs and health.”
Andy Gochenour, Great Plains Health RRT
“If a student is caught vaping, they are required to take an online, three-hour course educating them on the dangers of vaping and offering support for quitting,” says Ron Hanson, superintendent of North Platte Public Schools. At Stapleton Public Schools, there is a zero-tolerance policy for vaping, says Polly Burnside, a family and consumer science teacher who is coordinating initiatives there. “Several high school students have been caught vaping on school grounds, and they were put in in-school suspension,” she says. “These incidents prompted our schools to look for a speaker that could give our students some facts about the dangers of vaping. [Parent and paramedic] Robin Dimmitt connected us with Mr. Gochenour, who spoke to my seventh-grade FCS class and to 6th through 12th graders at our school. He was very informative, sharing the history of vaping and what vaping can do to a person’s lungs.” Burnside says that the schools are continuing tomonitor students and encouraging them to know the facts before they put any harmful chemicals in their bodies.
He is worried about the e-cigarette industry’s obvious targeting of young people. “Children are being targeted withmessaging of ‘they taste good, they couldn’t be harmful, right?’” Gochenour says. “I am hearing of kids as young as 8, 9 or 10 years old using these products, which has to have a negative impact on their lungs and health. We are trying to get the message out to kids that vaping is not cool, safe or healthy.” Abstinence is the only way to prevent EVALI. “Once the damage is done, all that we can do as clinicians is optimize what is left of healthy lung tissue and try to manage symptoms as they arise,” he explains. Gochenour encourages patients who vape to turn to resources such as the Nebraska Quit Line, which has counselors available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“There are several diseases that can behave like it, including acute interstitial pneumonia, cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, eosinophilic pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome,” says Molina. “Any disease that affects your lungs acutely can be fatal.” Dr. Molina says that, right now, EVALI is a diagnosis of exclusion. Early examination and diagnosis are crucial so physicians can rule out any other potential causes. It is vital that patients immediately stop using e-cigarettes and start steroids, if indicated, quickly. GPHealth offers counseling and medical therapies, and has embarked on community initiatives, to help people quit vaping. “We’ve been working with Dr. Molina to educate people for free, to try and arrest the damage being done to their bodies by choice,” says Andy Gochenour, RRT, respiratory therapy supervisor at GPHealth. “Trying to steer adolescents away from this activity is especially important.” Gochenour speaks at schools and gets the word out to the community about vaping use and associated dangers through the Great Plains Better Breathers Club Facebook page. Avoidance is the only answer
Partnering with local schools, to meet kids where they are, is also essential.
Trying to stop vaping where it starts
North Platte Public Schools gives parents informational materials at parent-teacher conferences, supervises hallways and restrooms and puts stall stickers in restrooms to educate students about the dangers of EVALI.
“We are hopeful that our students are listening.” +
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