Geminus Prevention Smoke Free Lake County Newsletter 2011

Smoke-Free

Lake County Indiana

Tobacco Prevention & Cessation News

Wo rkin g to p ro vid e h ealt h ier, smo ke -free, to b acco -free en vi ro n men ts fo r w o rker s an d p atro n s o f businesses in Lake County Indiana

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Geminus Employee Quits Smoking with Help of Geminus Prevention & 1-800 QUIT NOW

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Preferred Provider Benefits

Economic Benefits of state comprehensive smoke-free bans

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VOICE

Lake County Indiana Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Coalition Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

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Coalition Members

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Community Update Volume I - Issue I - 2011

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Contact Information

Lake County Indiana Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Coalition 2011

VOICE Members Cristina Campos Selena Rodriguez Nora Cheek, Prevention Youth Coordinator

Lake County Indiana Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Coalition Members 2011

Arthur Ross Pilar Garcia Voice is the youth-led anti-tobacco movement in Indiana, started in 2001.

Voice youth fight back against the tobacco industry’s youth-targeting marketing tactics.

Voice is represented by youth from across Indiana, who strive to educate and prevent young Hoosiers from becoming replacement smokers for the more than 10,000 people who die each year from tobacco use in the State of Indiana. Currently, 22.5 percent of Indiana’s youth are regular smokers and 9,800 youth pick up smoking each year.

Estimates by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids state that 160,000 youth in Indiana today, will die prematurely from smoking-related Illnesses.

These statistics, along with others are the driving force behind the Voice mission.

Become A Preferred Provider The free Quit Now Preferred Provider Program, developed by Indiana Prevention & Cessation, gives health care providers proven, professional resources to help clients kick their addiction to tobacco products.

(cover photo and above) Standing: Reverend Ray Ishman, Jackie Feldpauson, Mrs. Sharon Ishman, Tameka Burnett, Sandra Cotton, Nora Cheek and Eric Evans, Seated: Holly Horan, Irene Boone-Phillips, Cynthia Sampson, Program Manager, Rachel Back - Regional Coordinator, and Cynthia Rivas With ten years of hard work under their belts, the Lake County Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Coalition has a lot to celebrate.

A lot less people in Indiana are smoking, and more and more workplaces and businesses are becoming smoke-free.

Congratulations and thank you for your work Coalition Members!

Here’s to a healthier Lake County Indiana!

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As a Preferred Health Care Provider with the Quit Now Referral Network, you will receive exclusive tobacco cessation services and materials, including: Fax Referral Privileges to the Indiana Tobacco Quitline: which offers specially trained Quit Coaches to develop individualized quit plans for people who are ready to quit.

Referral Kit, which includes: Fax referral forms, Indiana Tobacco Quitline brochures, Tobacco resource guide with pharmacotherapy chart, and insurance reimbursement codes. You will also receive tobacco cessation counseling materials.

Status Reports on fax referred patients: Lets you know whether or not the patient was reached, enrolled in services, and/or planned a quit date.

Immediate access to professional evidence-based resources.

Ongoing communications: on the latest research, tobacco news in Indiana, and resources available to Preferred Providers.

Direct access to tobacco cessation specialists: for additional advice and consultation.

Clients look to you for direction about their individual health issues.

Your help and guidance can give them the power to curb their tobacco addiction. For clients who are ready to quit using tobacco, fax referring them to the Indiana Tobacco Quitline is the right first step!

You may go to http://www.in.gov/quitline for more information on becoming a Preferred Provider and/or Employer.

Lake County Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

More work to be done in the next decade

by Cynthia Sampson Lake County Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Program Manager It’s been ten years since the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Coalition has been in the business of fighting for smoke-free environments, for both patrons and workers of Indiana businesses. There is still a lot more work to do, as Indiana had the nation’s highest smoking rate in 2008, and still has more than 1 million smokers whose tobacco use costs Medicaid nearly $500 million each year and leads to nearly 10,000 Indiana deaths.

Many forward strides have occurred with the hard work and commitment of our Lake County Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Coalition. With a commitment to healthier communities, 30 communities in Indiana and over 300 employers in Indiana have gone smoke-free. These communities and employers have chosen a healthier philosophy for their patrons and workers, and should be highly commended.

A decision to go smoke-free was made by our Geminus Board of Directors several years ago. We knew that we would need to become a model for our Lake County Indiana communities, and be able to “walk the talk.” We have succeeded. As a result of a complete smoking ban on Geminus property, it inspired many of our colleagues to go smoke-free. We have offered classes and also have our 1-800 QUIT NOW line information available to assist anyone that needs help in the area of becoming smoke-free. We are ready and willing to extend our help in that area as needed (see testimonial on page 5).

We know that it is really tough to quit smoking, but what we also know, is that the data tells us that we can save lives by providing a smoke-free facility and community by banning smoking, which also then curtails the negative health effects that second-hand smoke causes.

Cynthia Sampson

Today, tobacco use remains the nation’s number one cause of preventable death. Tobacco kills approximately 443,000 Americans per year, and costs $96 billion in direct health care costs each year.

Two new reports from the American Cancer Society Action Network measure the dramatic health and economic benefits of enacting strong tobacco control policies in the United States.

Reports quantify that lives are saved, along with health costs, when there is a reduction in smokers due to states’ implementation of comprehensive smoke-free laws or tobacco tax increases. Positive results provide advocates like us, and lawmakers alike, with new concrete evidence that smoke-free laws and tobacco taxes are a win-win as they save lives and save money. Indiana has the potential of saving $74 million in health-care costs over the next five years by banning Hoosiers from lighting up at work, according to a first-of-its-kind report, also from the American Cancer Society.

If a comprehensive smoke-free workplace law in Indiana was passed (which passed in the Indiana House, but recently failed in the Indiana Senate) it could have led to 65,300 adults kicking the tobacco habit, and also helped to stave off 27,300 young Hoosiers from starting to smoke.

Fifteen states in the United States which include Indiana, have no laws on workplace smoking. (continued page 4)

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(continuation from page 3) If Indiana raised tobacco taxes, this would also help to decrease smoking’s toll on lives. It is estimated that with a $1 increase in the tobacco tax, smoking-related deaths could decrease by 41,400 within the next five years.

Just a glance at the statistics below makes one wonder: what is the State of Indiana waiting for? This year, the smoking ban bill made it to the House of Representatives, and then to the Senate Public Policy Committee, with exemptions. However, exemptions pose a concern, as exemptions can cause a strong bill to become a weak bill. The American Cancer Society withdrew support for the bill with the included exemptions and the bill died.

ECONOMIC BENEFITS IF ALL STATES PASSED COMPREHENSIVE SMOKE-FREE WORKPLACE LAWS 65,300 adults would quit smoking in Indiana 1,030,000 adults would quit smoking nationwide 27,300 youths would never start smoking in Indiana 398,700 youths would never start smoking nationwide 40,600 reduction in smoking related deaths in Indiana 624,000 reduction in smoking related deaths nationwide $19,540,000 lung cancer treatment savings in Indiana $316,110,000 lung cancer treatment savings nationwide $54,810,000 heart attack and stroke treatment savings in Indiana $875,670,000 heart attack and stroke treatment savings nationwide (Source: American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network)

The above-mentioned exemptions included bars and casinos. It is reported that only 5% of Hoosiers visit bars and casinos, so a bill that exempted these two types of establishments would have covered 95% of Indiana residents. Many believe that the bill should have been passed with the exemptions, however, anti-smoking advocates continue to oppose partial laws, as sometimes weaker laws create a false sense that something positive was accomplished. It seems to be a better idea to hold out for a more comprehensive smoking ban that protects all workers and patrons of businesses in Indiana. Once a weak bill is passed, a stronger bill to protect our workers and patrons of businesses in Indiana, may never be penned and/or passed. Thus, the hold out.

We could also posit the question that if only 5% of Hoosiers are reported to visit bars and/or casinos, could it be so because the establishments are so filled with smoke? Instead of a decrease in business, could the establishments actually experience an increase in business due to smoke-free environments? Only positive progress made going forward, in going smoke-free, along with data measurement can answer that question.

The next ten years bring goals of eradicating smoking among all pregnant women; as about one in five pregnant women continue to smoke. The other major goal we are working towards is to make nearly all homes and businesses in Indiana smoke-free.

Today, ten years after the anti-tobacco agency was founded, we can celebrate that less people in Indiana are smoking, and more communities and employers are choosing to go smoke-free. However, as you can see, there is still plenty of hard work for us to do in the next ten years, as we strive to become a smoke-free Lake County and Indiana.

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A Smoke-Free Testimonial: If I Can Quit, You Can Too!

June’s Smoke-Free Story My name is June Froberg, I work for Geminus Corporation. I’m a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, and co-worker.

I quit smoking on March 9, 2005.

How do I remember that date? It is not unlike any addiction that is given up.

We think about it, and struggle with it daily (maybe not so much as I used to now).

I can assure you though, that the date has stuck in my mind. When I think of the date that I actually became smoke-free for good, I can remind myself how far I have come, and how life has changed for the better, by becoming a smoke free person. First of all, I don’t smell like smoke anymore, and there are no more complaints from my family or friends about my habit.

What really did it for me though, was the fact that my daughter and her husband became pregnant with our first grandchild. I was excited beyond belief that we were going to have a grandchild, and believe me, I didn’t want to jeopardize my daughter’s health while she was pregnant, with second-hand smoke.

June Froberg

Mostly, I didn’t want to be a grandmother that smelled like smoke or expose my beautiful grandson, Charlie (who is now 5) to second-hand smoke, or for him to grow up thinking that smoking was an okay thing to do, just because grandma did it.

I am by no means saying it was easy to quit. If quitting, you really need to make a commitment to do so; and if you need help, you can call our 1-800 Quit Line. They can help you get started on your path to becoming tobacco/smoke-free.

I feel much better now, I can breathe more easily; I don’t have a cough, and don’t have to worry about taking time to find a way to go out and smoke, while my friends or family wait on me. I am smoke-free around my family, my grandson Charlie, and everyone else.

I truly hope that making the decision to become smoke-free, prolongs a healthy life for me so that I can see who Charlie becomes, who he marries, and perhaps see his children be born as well. That would make quitting well worth it. It already has been worth it to me and to my family.

If you are struggling with trying to quit smoking or considering changing your life to becoming smoke free, the people at our Indiana Tobacco Quitline 1-800-QUIT NOW can help you.

Just go ahead; I urge you to make the call. Geminus Prevention and the Indiana 1-800 QUIT NOW line helped me.

You don’t have to do it alone.

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8400 Louisiana Street Merrillville, Indiana 46410 2 1 9 .7 57. 1 8 0 0 Sanford R. Kauffman, President Geminus Corporation Heather McCarthy, Vice-President Prevention Services Cynthia Sampson, Program Director Lake County Tobacco Prevention & Cessation www.geminus.org

email: info@geminus.org

www.tobaccotalk.info

A Mission to Ensure Healthy Communities GEMINUS PREVENTION SERVICES aims to reduce alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other illicit drug use among Lake County residents and throughout Indiana.

We work to accomplish our mission through education and training of youth and adults, as well as through funding of community agencies that share our vision.

Smoke Smoke--Free Lake County Indiana Tobacco/Smoking Cessation News Published bi bi--annually by

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Barbara J. Markle - Managing Editor - info@geminus.org