April Health Awareness
April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month
"Oral cancer can literally wipe the smile off your face…”
Studies indicate that there is a definitive link between the use of tobacco products and the development of oral cancer. One study conducted at the University of California, San Francisco, found that more than eight out of ten oral cancer patients were smokers.
Approximately 53,000 new cases of oral cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. More than 9,750 people die from oral cancer each year in the U.S.
Tobacco products, heavy use of alcohol and particularly the combined use of both, have been implicated as the main causes of oral cancer. About 95 percent of all oral cancers occur in persons over 40 years of age.This usage can be affected by proper education, counseling and treatment.
Source: Oral Cancer Foundation
https://oralcancerfoundation.org/understanding/tobacco/
Get Help to Quit Tobacco New FREE Offer:
For the second year in a row, the Indiana Tobacco Quitline is offering tobacco users free medication to help them quit tobacco use. The nicotine replacement therapy promotion is available now and ends when supplies run out.
In the last year, nearly 7,500 Hoosiers received a free two-week supply of nicotine replacement therapy through the Quitline.
“Although we are past the season of New Year’s resolutions, now it is time to Spring into a healthier you,” said Shirley Dubois, Howard County Tobacco Free coordinator. “Tobacco users often go through several quit attempts before succeeding, but proven treatments and counseling services can improve your chances to quit for good.”
To take advantage of the free offer, tobacco users must enroll in the Indiana Tobacco Quitline, which provides a trained coach who will work to make a personalized quit plan. Online counseling is provided and users will receive a two-week supply of free medication, including gum or patches once enrolled into the program.
Call QUIT.NOW or visit
www.quitnowindiana.com for further assistance.
Did you know?
The Indiana Tobacco Quitline is offering Hoosiers who use tobacco free medication to help them quit smoking, while supplies last.
https://bit.ly/2HKjNy9Quitting tobacco isn’t easy. The nicotine in cigarettes is addictive and hard to overcome. Stopping tobacco use is a physical and mental challenge, but you can do it. Quit Now Indiana (QNI) offers free help and the aide you need to quit successfully. If enrolled in the QNI program, you will get a 2-week supply of free nicotine replacement therapy gum or patches, while supplies last. Call 1.800.Quit.Now
Quitting is not just about willpower – sometimes you need a little extra help. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a treatment to help people stop smoking. The goal is to ease the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. NRT can optimize your chances for quitting successfully. The Indiana Tobacco Quitline is now offering free NRT medication to help smokers in Indiana break their addiction. Click to enroll:
https://bit.ly/2I6mvRT
Mission
Tobacco Free Howard County is a coalition including local partners, nonprofit, health ,faith and community organizations committed to educating the public on the deadly hazards of tobacco use. We are committed to decreasing secondhand exposure, encouraging smoking cessation (1.800.Quit.Now) and youth advocacy to improve a healthier smoke free community.
Services
COMBAT TOBACCO USE
Protect and maintain a tobacco control alliance infrastructure needed to combat tobacco use, as well as work locally to reduce tobacco use.
PROTECT HOOSIERS
Work to protect Hoosiers from exposure to secondhand smoke, supporting local and/or statewide smoke-free air ordinances.
DECREASE ADULT SMOKING
Promote the Indiana Quitline (1-800-QUIT NOW) and support employers by providing tobacco treatment resources at their workplace.
PREVENT YOUTH SMOKING
Promote and educate the community about tobacco point-of-sale strategies implemented at the local level to entice youth to smoke.
Contact
For more information, contact Shirley Dubois, Tobacco Free Coordinator, at: 765.513.8514 or shirley.dubois@kokomoymca.orgFor more information on cessation, visit:
https://www.quitnowindiana.com/
For more information about the smoke free ordinance, visit:
http://www.howardcountyin.gov/community/smoke-free
Community Support
After decades of progress lowering smoking rates, we know what works to protect youth from tobacco products. We need state lawmakers to act this year to make sure communities have the resources they need to do this work. Raising the cigarette tax by $2 will generate resources to take on this epidemic.
#RaiseItForHealth
