News media welcome at Dec. 10 half-day e-cigarette conference in Louisville; remote viewing available at 5 locations across state

The Coalition for a Smoke-Free Tomorrow will hold a half-day conference on electronic cigarettes Dec. 10 in Louisville, and has added two more remote viewing locations, in Florence and Richmond. The other remote viewing locations are in Bowling Green, Hazard and Paducah. The news media are welcome to attend.

The Louisville conference is full, but is accepting names for a waiting list. Space is available in all of the remote viewing locations.

The conference, titled "Next Generation Tobacco: The Impact of E-Cigarettes on Kentucky's Future Health," will focus on the recent explosion in youth and young adult use of Juul and other electronic cigarettes and the health impact of these products, as well as an update on federal proposals to restrict sales.

Speakers will also provide updates on who else uses e-cigarettes, what's in them and the role that flavors play in market growth.

New data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that e-cigarette use among high-school students increased 78 percent in the past year and middle-school use went up 48 percent, largely because of the introduction of Juul and Juul-like products.

The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and Kentucky Youth Advocates, both founding partners of the coalition, will also release a focus group report regarding Kentucky youth attitudes and perceptions about e-cigarettes.

The conference will be held Monday, Dec. 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 12: 15 p.m. at the office of the foundation, 1640 Lyndon Farm Court in Louisville, with the foundation and KYA hosting a news conference at 11 a.m. to reveal what they learned during focus groups with students from five high schools around the state, convened to get teen perceptions about Juul and other popular e-cigarettes.

The news conference will be followed by a panel discussion of the policy implications of the focus group results as well as the information shared in the earlier morning sessions.

Remote viewing locations will be at the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce, 710 College St.; Baptist Health Paducah, Barnes Auditorium in the Carson-Myre Heart Center, 2501 Kentucky Ave.; Northern Kentucky Health Department , 8001 Veterans Memorial Dr., Florence; the Madison County Health Department, 216 Boggs Lane, Richmond; and the University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health, Room 214, 750 Morton Blvd., Hazard. The UK center asks those coming to Hazard use the free parking and shuttle service on Roy Campbell Drive (see map).

The conference is free, but registration is required for all locations. A light breakfast will be served at all locations and continuing education credits have been approved for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and nurses. Click here to be put on the Louisville location waiting list. Click here to register for the remote viewing locations. Click here for a full agenda.