EMBARK Transit

Oklahoma City, OK

Exposure to secondhand smoke continues to be a serious health problem in Oklahoma. What’s the only way to fully protect individuals from its dangers? Take steps to eliminate smoking where we live, work and play. In 2016, the City of Oklahoma City’s EMBARK transit system did just that.

Partnering with the Oklahoma City-County Health Department, a grantee of the TSET Healthy Living Program, and the Oklahoma State Department of Health, EMBARK passed a voluntary comprehensive tobacco-free policy to protect the health of its employees, its ridership and the public at large. This policy banned tobacco use at all of its facilities including transit stops, indoor and outdoor facilities, shelters and public transit vehicles.

On top of this, EMBARK also provided health and cessation resources for their employees and riders, which included a health fair, free health and dental screenings and advertisements on buses and shelters that promoted the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline. EMBARK also established an incentive program to reward those who were ready to make a quit attempt by offering a free 30-day bus pass (a $50 value). In total, 67 people were referred to the Helpline, and of those referred, nearly half were reached and accepted cessation services.

EMBARK is investing in the health of our state… and encouraging everyone to come along for the ride.