Michael DeLeon, Founder and CEO of Steered Straight, is on a mission to help kids avoid vaping and other drugs.

“We are in the worst public social health crisis America has ever seen. With vaping/JUULing and a culture that literally grew up with pills marketed as the solution for every human ailment, the threat to our youth is greater than ever.”

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (PRWEB)
October 30, 2019

Vaping has become a cross-country epidemic, with over 1,500 reported counts of vape-related illnesses and 34 vape-induced deaths [1]. The cruel tragedy of this epidemic is that most of the victims of vaping related illnesses involve young adults around age 23 and most of the vaping related deaths are adults around age 45–but most of the long-term illnesses and death will manifest in children under 18 years old. In a recent federal survey, researchers found that more than 25 percent of U.S. high school students have used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days [2]. Michael DeLeon, the number one booked school speaker on drug related issues and Founder/President of Steered Straight, has surveyed more than 15,000 middle and high school students already this school year and has found that number is more than double.

When companies like Juul began marketing to pre-adolescents and teens with misleading messages pertaining to the safety of vaping, dependency and ingredients, their revenue spiked and sent the CDC, parents and teachers into a panic. “These companies are marketing these products to children and it’s absolutely unacceptable. We need to speak up and put an end to this dangerous fad,” said DeLeon.

Unfortunately, the anti-tobacco and anti-smoking awareness efforts are far less abundant than e-cigs and tobacco campaigns. In an effort to stop the vaping giant Juul from marketing to children, the Center for Environmental Health recently released a legally binding agreement preventing Juul from:

• 
  Advertising at sporting events or concerts that allow people under the age 21.
• Appearing at schools.
• Using models in their ads that are under the age of 28 [3].

Although these are promising steps in the right direction, a new product, Snus, was recently cleared by the FDA to be marketed with the verbiage “instead of cigarettes puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis [4].” Could this be the second wave of the youth smoking epidemic?

DeLeon believes so. “However people want to look at SNUS—either as an alternative to smoking or as an origination to nicotine use–it’s still carcinogenic to humans. My main focus is on helping kids and young adults steer clear of nicotine. The more we paint a reduced perception of harm, the more we increase adolescent use of these products.”

The FDA wants to make a clear distinction that the modified risk claim was approved–snus are not FDA approved. But DeLeon said the distinction may get lost in the advertising copy.

“I saw the vaping epidemic happen years before it did—and snus could be the next big thing with this modified messaging. We need to educate kids now before any more deaths happen in this country from nicotine,” said DeLeon.

In addition to snus, the bans on e-cigarette flavors in various states across the country and done voluntarily to some extent by the industry leader, JUUL, will not help stem youth use. In fact, it will increase faster than ever. There are countless companies marketing and selling counterfeit flavors all over this country and online. There is a complete industry selling flavors separately which won’t fall under bans. There is a burgeoning black market that is stepping up faster than ever since the scattered bans. The worst increase of availability will come from the marijuana industry. This is a huge market that is not regulated at all by our federal government.

DeLeon delivers a hard-hitting educational program, “Vaping Me Crazy,” to youth, families, and communities across the country. Currently, Michael and his team are focusing his awareness efforts on educating parents and teachers.

“We are in the worst public social health crisis America has ever seen,” DeLeon notes. “With vaping/JUULing and a culture that literally grew up with pills marketed as the solution for every human ailment, the threat to our youth is greater than ever.”

About Michael DeLeon

Michael DeLeon has become the #1 School Presenter in America, visiting 616 schools to date in 40 states in 2018 alone. Michael is the leading subject matter expert on vaping and current youth drug trends. He is the Founder and CEO of Steered Straight, a non-profit organization providing educational programs and materials to youth, families, and communities across the country and around the world. He is a thought leader in the addiction and substance abuse community and is an advocate for social and public health change, parent/teacher education, and is spearheading multiple anti-vape campaigns and awareness programs.

# # #

1. “Outbreak of Lung Injury Associated with E-Cigarette Use, or Vaping.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 Oct. 2019.

2. Aubrey, Allison. “Juul Suspends Sales of Flavored Vapes And Signs Settlement To Stop Marketing To Youth.” NPR, NPR, 17 Oct. 2019

3. Ibid.

4. Christensen, Jen. “Smokeless Tobacco Company Can Advertise Snus as Less Risky than Cigarettes, FDA Says.” CNN, Cable News Network, 22 Oct. 2019

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Catherine Jonash, Vice President, General Manager for Virtudent’s New England Region

Working in healthcare over the last decade I’ve seen many areas where health disparities exist and one of the greatest gaps is in access to oral healthcare, said Catherine Jonash, Vice President, General Manager for Virtudent’s New England region.

BOSTON (PRWEB)
October 31, 2019

Virtudent, Inc. (http://www.virtudent.com), the leading provider of teledentistry services for employers, today announced they have appointed Catherine Jonash as Vice President, General Manager for New England. She will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of Virtudent’s operations in the region as well as increasing access to the company’s high quality, preventive dental care by bringing it to more workplaces in the New England states.

“Working in healthcare over the last decade I’ve seen many areas where health disparities exist and one of the greatest gaps is in access to oral healthcare,” said Jonash. “It’s a silent epidemic that was identified long ago, but little is being done about it. I am excited to be able to provide such a high-quality, patient-centric service that meets more people where they are today and helps to improve their overall health.”

Virtudent brings diagnostic and preventive services typically performed at a dentist’s office, including a complete oral health exam, cleaning and X-rays, to the patient’s workplace using a proprietary portable dental system. Experienced dentists and advisors from top dental schools including Boston University Dental School, Columbia Dental, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Johns Hopkins and Tufts Dental School provide clinical oversight and review all Virtudent patient cases, assessments and X-rays. Virtudent’s experienced, degreed dental hygienists and dentists are all licensed in the state they serve and receive rigorous training in Virtudent’s proprietary solution and patient care techniques.

In New England, Virtudent operates in over 100 workplaces, including Dunkin’ Brands, Microsoft and Wayfair.

At Massachusetts Eye and Ear, for six years, Jonash oversaw 20 outpatient clinics, ensuring the best possible care and patient experience. She has also worked for Boston Healthcare Associates and California Pacific Medical Center. She earned a Master’s in Public Health from The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, a Master’s in Business from Dartmouth College and Bachelor’s in History from Princeton.

“Catherine’s commitment to providing the best possible experience for our New England customers is second to none and we are incredibly excited to have her on our team,” said Dave Drap, chief growth officer for Virtudent.

About Virtudent

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Boston, Virtudent is a teledentistry practice committed to improving overall health and well-being by providing easy access to high-quality, prevention-focused dental care in the workplace. Through partnerships with hundreds of top employers, including Dunkin’ Brands, Microsoft and Wayfair, they have saved their clients tens of thousands of employee work hours. Their business model brings together experienced dentists, highly-trained hygienists and a unique portable dentistry kit in a convenient setting to address often overlooked oral health. For more information, visit http://www.virtudent.com.

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