Leading the Way Toward a Smoke-Free Future
Duke strengthens resources ahead of 2020 smoke-free date for university campus
Maria Crowder was a smoker for more than two decades, but her addiction didn’t seem that bad to her.
She didn’t smoke when she woke up. She didn’t smoke indoors. She’d go days without the urge to light up. So people around her figured she wouldn’t have trouble kicking her pack-every-two-days habit.
“My daughter would say, ‘Well, you don’t smoke that much, it should be easy,’” said Crowder, 37, an administrative assistant with Duke HomeCare and Hospice.
It wasn’t.
Seeing family members struggle and others die from smoking-related diseases wasn’t enough to get Crowder to change, but with help from LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke’s employee wellness program, Crowder found the right combination of medication and motivation. She hasn’t had a cigarette in more
than a year.
“My daughter will say that she doesn’t even remember that I smoked,” Crowder said. “It feels good. I’m happy to be that role model for her.”
Duke is adopting a new policy to become smoke-free on all property and grounds owned and leased by Duke University beginning July 1, 2020. Part of the Healthy Duke campaign, the policy prohibits use of combustible tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, and hookahs. The policy does not apply to non-combustible forms of tobacco such as e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco, or therapeutic products containing nicotine.
As the 2020 deadline nears, Duke is enhancing its resources. Staff and faculty have access to more tobacco cessation options through LIVE FOR LIFE. The treatment available will be based on the approach of the Duke Smoking Cessaton Program, a comprehensive physician-led service that battles tobacco dependence using medical and behavioral approaches. Students and employees can access the more intensive services and have the cost covered by Duke by going through Student Health or Employee Occupational Health & Wellness.
“Students and employees will essentially have easy access to free or inexpensive highly effective tobacco treatment services,” said James Davis, assistant professor of medicine and medical director for the Duke Smoking Cessaton Program. “That’s the real change.”
With more help available, the hope is, when the smoke-free deadline arrives, Duke community members who smoke will be ready for it.
“Treatment is the part of this initiative that we won’t compromise on,” Davis said. “We really want to make sure that everyone in the Duke community has access to world-class treatment.”
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