Editor, Times-Union: The March 24 e-cigarette education town hall meeting was successfully executed. There were 64 people in attendance. ABC and NBC news from South Bend were there along with local reporters. We had a live feed on wioe.com. The meeting was on the internet for those that were not able to attend. I am pleased with the media coverage we received. There were 23 questions asked - some were duplicates. We, however, had the time to answer everyone’s question. The purpose of the Town Hall meeting was to keep Kosciusko County aware of what is the electronic cigarette, its use, and the substance that is put into the device. Whenever there is something new that comes out in the market there are many questions that emerge. Since the e-cigarette is not regulated by the FDA, there are concerns that need to be revealed. A major concern is the influence the e-cigarette has on the youth of our communities. I want to thank the committee for the work that was done to help make the Town Hall Meeting come together so smoothly - Ted Westerhof, Bill Winn, and James Troutner. Thank you to our sponsors that helped promote the event - K21 Health Foundation, Kosciusko County Health Department, and Lutheran Health Network, KCH. A special thanks goes to Mayor Joe Thallmer for the excellent job in moderating the meeting and the panelist, Miranda Spitnagle from the Tobacco Prevention Cessation Commission of the Indiana Department of Health, Doug Hampton from the Pill Box, Aracili Grant from Bowen Center, and Jon Hutton Tippy Valley High School Assistant Principle. Job well done everyone! Dan Gray Director Kosciusko County Tobacco Free Coalition
