Caring for the Community – Tobacco Prevention and Cessation

Tobacco Usage is Costly

According to Houston Healthcare’s latest Community Health Needs Assessment, Houston County has a slightly higher usage of tobacco than the state of Georgia. Houston County also has a higher rate of cancer than the State with lung cancer being the leading type of cancer. Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States. Tobacco use causes or contributes to the incidence of cancer, heart disease as well as lung conditions such as COPD or emphysema. It also exacts a huge financial toll. It costs the United States $96 billion in health care expenditures and another $97 billion in lost productivity each year. Most smokers begin as children, and nearly 1,000 kids become regular smokers every day. One in three of them will die an early death as a result. If the current trends continue, more than six million U.S. kids alive today will die prematurely of tobacco-caused diseases.

Houston Healthcare’s Tobacco Prevention

and Cessation Efforts

Houston Healthcare is providing tobacco cessation information to all in-patients who state they use tobacco. Each year, Houston Healthcare participates in the Great American Smoke Out and provides tobacco cessation information at worksites and at community screenings. Fresh Start programs are provided at no cost to the participants. In addition to these activities, Houston Healthcare Community Education staff are referring community members to the Georgia Quit Line. The Georgia Tobacco Quit Line is a toll-free resource that offers counseling, screening, and support services free to Georgia residents ages 13 and older who want to quit using tobacco. For 2013, there were 144 Houston County tobacco users who called the Georgia Quit Line for assistance. In November after the Great American Smoke Out, 22 calls were received from Houston County. The Georgia Quit Line is an evidence based program demonstrating success in assisting residents of Georgia to stop the use of tobacco.

The Georgia Quit Line benefits include:

• Providing free helpful quitting tips/techniques and support.

• Eliminating barriers of traditional cessation classes such as waiting for a class to be held or having to drive to a location in order to be in a class.

• Empowering callers who may feel uncomfortable with seeking help in a group setting.

• Providing qualified interpreters for Georgians whose primary language may not be English.

• Callers speak with a trained counselor who tailors the quit process according to each caller’s needs.

• Youth who call speak with trained youth counselors who can address their specific needs.

• Unlike many resources aimed at helping smokers quit, the Quit Line also provides thorough follow-up services.

The Health Benefits of tobacco cessation are numerous and include the following:

• 20 minutes after quitting: your heart rate drops.

• Two weeks to three months after quitting: heart attack risk begins to drop. Lung functions begins to improve.

• One to nine months after quitting: coughing and shortness of breath decrease.

• One year after quitting: added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.

• Within five years of quitting: risk of cancer of the mouth, throat and bladder is cut in half.

• 10 years after quitting: risk of dying from lung cancer drops by half.

To contact the Georgia Quit Line, please call

1-877-270-7867 (English)

1-877-2NO-FUME (Spanish)

For Hearing Impaired: TTY services: 1-877-777-6534

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