Sky Lakes Medical Center | Live Smart | Spring 2018

You CAN quit smoking! You CAN breathe better! You CAN feel better! You CAN look better! You CAN do it! Take your life back— today ! When I became involved with the Freedom From Smoking program in the summer of 2016, I was naïve yet excited and enthusiastic about making a difference in the health of our community. As someone new to health care and tobacco cessation efforts, I entered Freedom From Smoking believing I could convince most smokers and tobacco users that quitting was as easy as attending a class and wanting to stop a bad habit. I learned early on that I was very wrong. Tobacco use is an addiction, and quitting is one of the most difficult things many people have ever faced. It often takes at least five attempts before someone actually quits tobacco. That’s the power of the addiction. So the challenge was to create and deliver a winning combination of services to people battling tobacco addiction—and ultimately to decrease tobacco use in Klamath County. The journey has not been nearly as successful as I had hoped. When we received our early 2017 statistics from the Freedom From Smoking program, we were greatly disappointed. Of the 60 people who completed the smoking cessation classes, only two had stayed “quit” for six months or longer. With a smoking population of about 11,000 in the county, participation of only 60 people was disheartening, and even more significant was the low success rate. Good for those two people who had stayed tobacco-free over an extended period of time! But I wanted to do more. Once again I asked myself, “What can we do to reduce tobacco use in Klamath County? How can we help people quit smoking?” Take the first step The journey is long and tedious, with many questions still unanswered, and there is considerable work to be done. Tobacco use is identified as the No. 1 preventable cause of death in Oregon and is responsible for some 7,000 deaths annually. On average, 200 deaths per year in Klamath County are directly related to smoking, and about 4,000 people suffer from illnesses that are caused by smoking. How can we change these statistics? One way is to start on the smoking cessation journey by deciding to quit. Smokers can help themselves be successful by being more physically active and making better nutrition choices while on the path to quitting. No, it’s not easy—few truly worthwhile endeavors are. But as the saying goes, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Living Well Community Health Fair We can’t all have a guardian angel, but we can help watch over your health. That’s why we’re offering a wide array of displays and screenings at the 20th annual Sky Lakes community health fair on Saturday, March 3, at the Klamath County Fairgrounds. Get details at skylakes.org/healthfair . Choose to seize the day  By Valerie Franklin  Freedom From Smoking Coordinator TAKE THE NEXT STEP AND QUIT—FOR GOOD! Call 541-274-7252 to register for the Freedom From Smoking program and receive a free “quit kit.” Learn more about Freedom From Smoking at skylakes.org/quitnow. FREEDOM FROM SMOKING STOP SMOKING skylakes.org | LIVE smart 3 Free