Home

Clinic Locations

Programs and Services

Health Connection

Birth and Death Certificates

Request Records

Board of Health

Health Regulations

Public Health Alerts

Environmental Health

Food Establishment/Restaurant Inspections

Emergency Preparedness

Employment

Media

The Burden of Tobacco Use

Tobacco kills 440,000 people every year in the United States. Secondhand smoke kills approximately 50,000 individuals every year.

Who We Are

The Salt Lake Valley Health Department (SLVHD) - Tobacco Prevention Program implements evidence-based strategies to prevent and reduce tobacco use. The SLVHD envisions a tobacco-free society for Salt Lake County residents.

Over time, the program has effectively implemented programs outlined below. To learn more about each program, click on the program title and it will link you to a detailed description.

• Retail Education Program that helps store owners, managers and employees with valuable information to prevent tobacco sales to minors under the age of 19 years old.
• We consistently work to increase access to effective cessation services such as the Ending Nicotine Dependence (E.N.D.) program for youth.
• Each day 3,900 youth smoke their first cigarette in the United States. School programs to prevent tobacco use among young people can make a major contribution to the health of our nation. Our department offers curriculums such as:
• Tobacco On Trial (TOT)which is recommended for 5th or 6th grade students and Towards No Tobacco Use (TNT) is a youth tobacco prevention program which was adapted by SLVHD and the Utah Department of Health and specifically designed to be implemented to the sixth through eighth grade students.
• Teen Advocates Against Tobacco (TAAT) is an organization of youth ages 12 to 18 working together to flip around the false images of the tobacco industry and teach the truth about tobacco. They are involved in community events and school events in Salt Lake County.
• The Environmental Protection Agency has classified secondhand smoke as a group “A” carcinogen, meaning there is no safe level of exposure.[1] The SLVHD continues to work with outdoor venues such as: parks and recreational areas to promote Outdoor Smoke Free Air for all residents in our county.
• Research shows that people are more likely to quit when a healthcare provider advises them to do so. The 5 A’s Program represent a set of clinical guidelines for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence in patients.
• The Salt Lake Valley Health Department’s (SLVHD) Tobacco Prevention and Control Program’s Worksites Policy Initiative project assesses and improves your business’s current workplace tobacco policy and provides cessation resources- for FREE. This project helps to lower your business’s compensation, medical, and property insurance costs.
• SLVHD-Tobacco Prevention Multiple Dwelling Unit Section encompasses a comprehensive guide that educates tenants and managers about what you can do to promote the adoption of a smoke-free policy in your apartment or condominium community.
• Join the 89.1% of Salt Lake County residents that have a rule against smoking in their homes and cars by taking a Smoke-Free Home Pledge. You can take this pledge even if you are not a smoker.
• If you or someone you know would like to quit smoking, the Salt Lake County Resource Directory provides cessation classes, phone numbers and location information.