Latest cycle of tobacco settlement funds has arrived
LA PORTE – Several La Porte County organizations are receiving money in the latest cycle of Master Tobacco Settlement funding to continue successful smoking prevention and cessation projects, according to Healthy Communities of La Porte County. Healthy Communities is the lead agency overseeing the county grant, totaling $400,000 for a two-year cycle that began July 1.
A number of county groups are continuing their “best practice” prevention and cessation projects as members of the Healthy Communities’ Tobacco Prevention Council, the organization said in a news release. La Porte and La Crosse Schools and Michigan City’s Safe Harbor after-school program are focusing on youth prevention through projects such as TAP & TEG tobacco education/cessation programs, and a school poster contest. Safe Harbor also is supporting the Voice student movement to promote peer-to-peer tobacco control efforts in the middle and high schools.
La Porte Hospital, Community Health Center and St. Anthony Memorial are receiving assistance to continue offering the “Stage of Change” program, wherein patients who smoke are identified upon registration. They receive cessation information and support, including access to the free state Quitline at 1-800-QUITNOW.
In addition, the Quitline is presented as a major tool for the Tobacco Prevention Council to provide general assistance to businesses, restaurants, and other organizations that wish to become smoke-free, Healthy Communities said.
“With the rising cost of health insurance for employees and their family members, it definitely makes financial sense to encourage smoking cessation,” said Sandy Gleim, executive director of Healthy Communities and coordinator of the Tobacco Prevention Council.
Also under the tobacco grant, Swanson Center provides education and cessation opportunities for the chronically mentally ill, and Samaritan Center is reaching out with cessation information to its counseling clients.
Dunebrook’s Healthy Families’ caseworkers emphasize the health detriments of smoking personally, around children and other family members, including offering the Prenatal Substance Use Prevention Program, while Minority Health Coalition supports education and cessation for disparate populations.
La Porte County also is housing a new cessation director, Camille Kalil, who assists throughout the state in promoting the Quitline and offering cessation system support in contacts with physicians and businesses. Cessation systems encompass identifying smoking patients or employees, suggesting that they consider pursuing cessation, and providing tools such as 1-800-QUITNOW to support their efforts to stop using tobacco.
With the addition of this expertise, “La Porte County is fortunate to have so many excellent organizations dedicated to smoking prevention and cessation efforts,” Gleim notes. “Over the past few years the rate of adult smoking in our county has dropped, and state studies show that overall youth smoking in Indiana is continuing to decrease at a strong level.”
