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Effective Saturday, the Stanly County Health and Human Services Agency (including Stanly County Health Department and Department of Social Services) will be a tobacco-free zone. The zone will include the building, grounds/parking lot and vehicles in this area.

In part, this policy change was prompted by the North Carolina Medicaid Standard and Tailored Plan Tobacco-Free Policy requirement. This requirement called for standard and tailored plans contracted service providers for medical, behavioral health, intellectual/developmental
disabilities (I/DD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) to implement a tobacco-free policy covering any portion of the property on which the participating provider operates to include buildings, grounds and vehicles.

The following products will be prohibited in the zone (including the building, grounds and vehicles): all smoking combustible tobacco products and non-combustible tobacco products, including electronic, heated and smokeless tobacco products. Prohibited products include but are not limited to the following: cigarettes or any smoking alternative product, chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes, vapor/vaping, cigars, snus/dip/snuff and pipe tobacco.

Nicotine products that are not approved by the FDA as tobacco treatment medications will also be prohibited.

Tobacco use is the number one preventable risk factor for the top two causes of death in Stanly County, heart disease and cancer. Therefore, the Stanly County Health and Human Services Agency is committed to providing a safe environment for agency employees, volunteers, clients,
contractors, vendors and visitors by limiting exposure to secondhand smoke or other harmful chemicals produced by e-cigarettes and vapes.

QuitlineNC provides free cessation services to any North Carolina resident who needs help quitting commercial tobacco use, which includes all tobacco products offered for sale, not tobacco used for sacred and traditional ceremonies by many American Indian tribes and communities. Quit Coaching is available in different forms, which can be used separately or together, to help any tobacco user give up tobacco.

Visit https://quitlinenc.dph.ncdhhs.gov/ to learn more. 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)