Local program improves health by reducing use of tobacco

The Tobacco Cessation Center of Northern New York is a proven program at work in St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis counties. Investing in New York's comprehensive tobacco control program is a smart, cost-effective investment that improves the health of our loved ones, saves lives and also saves money by reducing health care costs in our local communities.

New York state has a world-class, evidence-based, proven tobacco control program. As a result of the program efforts, the adult smoking rate of 16.8 percent and youth smoking rate of 14.6 percent are at their lowest on record and significantly lower than national averages. In St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis counties the TCC of NNY carries out this mission to further reduce tobacco use and plays a crucial role in the prevention of many chronic conditions such as cancer, heart disease and respiratory illness through our comprehensive cessation program. Our mission is to educate and empower health care providers to help smokers quit. Therefore, we need your support to preserve and protect our proven cessation program that works. Since the establishment of the Cessation Centers in New York state, adult smoking is down 22 percent and youth smoking has dropped 40 percent. This means a healthier population and lower health care costs.

Preventing and reducing tobacco use are the most important public health and cost measures that can be taken to improve the health in our local communities. Smoking kills more than twice the number of Americans than alcohol, car accidents, suicides, AIDS, homicides and illegal drugs combined.

There are still 2.5 million smokers in New York who need help — we must continue to invest our dollars wisely by supporting our world-class, evidenced-based, proven tobacco control programs in St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis counties.

Beth Gero

Potsdam

The writer is a tobacco educator at Tobacco Cessation Center of Northern NY.