The American Heart Association invites parents, educators, health care professionals and community health advocates to participate in a virtual community conversation, Youth and Vaping: Addressing an Epidemic. The event is sponsored by WellSpan Health and will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, April 27, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The event will feature six local experts who will address the rise in e-cigarette use among young people in central Pennsylvania, the health effects of vaping, how to recognize vaping devices and products, what local schools are doing to combat e-cigarette use by students and advice for parents.

Speakers will include Dr. Scott Silverstein, pulmonologist at WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital; Samantha Smith, community health specialist with the City of York Bureau of Health; Holly Dolan, vice president of community education at Lebanon Family Health Services; Brandy Shealer, school social worker for Red Lion Area Senior High School; and Isaiah Morales, high school senior and Student Council president at Red Lion Area Senior High School. The conversation will be moderated by Nicole Maurer-Gray, executive director of the Community Health Council of Lebanon County.

The program is free of charge, and registration is available at http://bit.ly/PaVapingConversation.

To learn more about the health effects of e-cigarettes and their impact on youths, visit http://heart.org/vaping.