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SEQUOIA HEALTHCARE DISTRICT <br />County of San Mateo, State of California <br />RESOLUTION NO. 2020-02 <br />RESOLUTION DECLARING PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY REQUIRING <br />IMMEDIATE ACTION: YOUTH USE OF FLAVORED TOBACCO AND <br />E -CIGARETTES <br />WHEREAS, the Sequoia Healthcare District Board of Directors has made <br />as its strategic priority to serve the healthcare needs of 60,000 or more <br />residents per year while addressing the crucial health care needs that have <br />been identified; and, <br />WHEREAS, the Sequoia Healthcare District Board of Directors has <br />identified as strategic goals being a leader in bringing organizations together <br />to support good Ideas that benefit our residents and supporting County -wide <br />efforts; and, <br />WHEREAS, tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death <br />in the United States, killing more than 480,000 people each year, and is a <br />contributing factor to many Illnesses; and, <br />WHEREAS, while tobacco use is defined broadly, specific use of flavored <br />tobacco products, e -cigarettes, and other electronic smoking devices by youth <br />is of concern at local, state, and national levels; and, <br />WHEREAS, youth e -cigarette use in the United States has skyrocketed <br />to what the U.S. Surgeon General and the FDA have called "epidemic levels;"' <br />and, <br />WHEREAS, on November 19, 2019, in the wake of the recent lung illness <br />outbreak linked to more than 2,000 illnesses and over 40 deaths across the <br />country and a spike in youth e -cigarette use, the American Medical Association <br />called for a total ban on all e -cigarette and other electronic smoking devices <br />that do not meet Food and Drug Administration approval as cessation tools; <br />and, <br />WHEREAS, in San Mateo and San Francisco Counties, e -cigarette use <br />rates are higher than the State averages: the current e -cigarette use <br />prevalence among high school students in San Mateo and San Francisco <br />Counties is 20.8 percent, higher than the state prevalence of 10.9 percent;2 <br />and, <br />WHEREAS, newly -released data from the 2019 National Youth Tobacco <br />Survey shows that e -cigarette use among high school students more than <br />