NEWS UPDATE
December 2019
THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ALONG WITH 
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND  
THE HEALTHY MONTGOMERY TCI LAUNCH 
ANTI-VAPING PSA CONTEST

Anti-Vaping PSA Contest Encourages Youth and Young Adults to Get Involved in 
the Fight Against Tobacco and E-Cigarette Use

The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Montgomery County Public Schools, and Healthy Montgomery Transforming Communities Initiative (TCI) are excited to announce their latest collaboration through an anti-vaping campaign. The campaign is made possible by funds thanks to Trinity Health and Healthy Montgomery.

The Anti-Vaping Public Service Announcement ( PSA) video contest is part of Healthy Montgomery's TCI's initiative to improve community health and promote tobacco-free living in Montgomery County. The contest proposes a call to action for students to create content directly for their peers.

By challenging students to create an original PSA video, the goal of this campaign is to have young people promote awareness of the dangers of vaping and the use of e-cigarettes to other young people.

This contest is open to all 6th to 12th-grade students living in Montgomery County and participants are encouraged to be creative as all submissions will be reviewed by an expert judging panel, with cash prizes going to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

The winning PSA Videos will be announced in February 2020 at a Montgomery County Council Session. Winning students will be invited to attend the session and will be acknowledged by County Council. The first-place winner will receive a cash prize of $750, with second and third place winners receiving prizes of $500 and $300, respectively. The deadline for submissions is December 20, 2019. For more information and/or resources on the anti-vaping campaign, visit our website   here.
About the Transforming Communities Initiative: 

The Healthy Montgomery Transforming Communities Initiative (TCI) is a partnership between the Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHI), Trinity Health affiliate Holy Cross Health, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, and numerous other government and community partners.  Montgomery County, Maryland is one of eight locations selected by Trinity Health for investment through their national TCI grant program.

TCI is an innovative, collaborative funding initiative established by Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation. Grant recipients, in collaboration with a community coalition(s), implement and support evidence-based and innovative policy, systems and environmental change strategies to reduce obesity, promote tobacco-free living and address social influencers of health. TCI leverages health system funding, community partnerships, local match dollars, capital loan dollars, and national technical assistance resources to improve community health. Funding is also provided by the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission , The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation , and t he  Healthcare Initiative Foundation . 



For more information regarding the Healthy Montgomery TCI,