Statement by Trinity Health President and CEO Mike Slubowski on House Passage of the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act
February 27, 2020-
Trinity Health applauds the House of Representatives for passing the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act. We urge the Senate to promptly pass this important bipartisan legislation and send it to the President's desk.
Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States and costs the U.S. health care system approximately $170 billion each year. In 2019, 27.5 percent of high school students used e-cigarettes – a 135 percent increase from 2017. Research shows that young people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to become smokers. About 95 percent of adult smokers began smoking before they turned 21.
Trinity Health has prioritized reducing tobacco use across our 22-state health system through a commitment to tobacco screening and referral, connecting patients to cessation resources, and advocacy for anti-tobacco policies at the federal, state and local levels. Trinity Health's commitment to tobacco cessation is real. Examples of interventions across our footprint include quit hotlines, support programs, employing tobacco specialists and pharmacy supports.
By tackling the leading drivers of youth tobacco use, the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act will go a long way to deal with this public health crisis. Trinity Health supports this comprehensive approach to reduce tobacco use in the United States, and we urge the Senate to act quickly. The longer Congress takes to act, the worse the epidemic becomes.
About Trinity Health
Trinity Health is one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation, serving diverse communities that include more than 30 million people across 22 states. Trinity Health includes 92 hospitals, as well as 106 continuing care locations that include PACE programs, senior living facilities and home care and hospice services. Its continuing care programs provide nearly 2.5 million visits annually. Based in Livonia, Michigan, and with annual operating revenues of $19.3 billion and assets of $27 billion, the organization returns $1.2 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs. Trinity Health employs about 129,000 colleagues, including about 7,500 employed physicians and clinicians. For more information, visit www.trinity-health.org. You can also follow us on Facebook or Twitter.