By Mathieu Bianne

Foothill College in Los Altos Hills has received a grant for the second year from the Santa Clara County Health & Hospital System’s Tobacco Prevention & Education Program.

It received the grant for its smoking cessation project, “See Through the Smoke.”

The goal of the “See Through the Smoke” campaign is to increase awareness and knowledge of issues pertaining to tobacco use among the nearly 19,000 students at Foothill. The program is designed to educate students who smoke as well as those who don’t.

Foothill College Health Services Coordinator Naomi Kitajima and Project Coordinator Micah Lieberman authored the $95,000 grant, which begins Sept. 30 and continues for one year.

“Our goal is to provide students of all ages with the information they need to make informed decisions about the health and social consequences of smoking,” Lieberman said. “We understand that smoking is an addiction, and this grant provides us with the resources to help our students overcome this insidious addiction.”

Organizers will use the grant to improve the project’s Web site, update videos, and supply students with Nicorette gum, Nicoderm patches and Zyban prescriptions at no charge.

The education components of Foothill’s program are: offering smoking cessation services to all students and staff; raising awareness of tobacco-related issues through multimedia projects; advocating a policy change on campus; and encouraging dialogue about tobacco-related issues.

For more information, call 949-7243 or logon to www.foothillcollege.org/smokescreen.