ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS (April 3, 2023) — Augustana College will mark National Public Health Week with an in-person event at 9AM, Wednesday, at the Murabito Commons of the Peter J Lindberg MD Center for Health and Human Performance.
Current students will join virtual alumni panelists to celebrate the college’s adoption of its smoke-free campus policy. Dr Lena Hann, public health program associate professor, worked with numerous teams of public health students from 2017-2022 who proposed smoke-free campus policies.
The alumni panelists were instrumental in Augustana adopting its new policy, which prohibits smoking and vaping on campus. This includes cigarettes, vapes, and similar products that involve the burning or vaporizing of tobacco. This policy was initially temporarily adopted as part of the campus COVID-19 response. Prior to that, tobacco use was prohibited in campus buildings and near doors, windows, and air intakes, per the 2018 Smoke-Free Illinois Act.
At the event, Dr Hann will accept the Tobacco Free Quad Cities Coalition “Champion Award” from Krishna Marmé, the community tobacco consultant for the Scott County Health Department. Marmé is a 2020 alumna of Augustana's public-health program and now leads QC public health initiatives as well as works with current public health students pursuing internship and capstone projects.
National Public Health Week is April 3-9.
