I received the letter below from the Tennessee Department of Health on May 22; five days later we celebrated Memorial Day by remembering the brave young men and women who died to make us free. The juxtaposition of the two bothered me, they died so we might live and live in freedom. Yet, we now have a government telling us where we can and where we can not smoke. Does that diminish our freedom? Does it protects those who are forced to breath our second-hand smoke. Are we really free?
Last night I resolved the mental conflict. We owe it to those passionate revolutionists who fought for OUR lives some 250 years ago, to protect our own lives and not expose our selves to tobacco’s fatal effects. We all know that smoking is a threat to our health, a threat to the very life they died to protect. So, with that in mind I ask you to read the letter sent to pediatricians and other doctors in Tennessee. In it, you will find the answers to the above questions and much more!
Dear Colleague,
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease, killing more than 1,200 Americans each day. In Tennessee, 9,700 adults die every year from smoking—more than 26 every day. Across all states, for every person who dies from tobacco use, another 20 suffer from one or more serious smoking-related illnesses. As a health care provider, you know smoking has a negative impact on your patients’ health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 70 percent of tobacco users visit a health care provider each year. Thus, we have a unique opportunity to motivate our patients to quit and improve their chances of remaining smoke free.
In April 2013, CDC launched the second Tips From Former Smokers national tobacco education campaign to raise awareness about the suffering caused by smoking and secondhand smoke exposure and encourage smokers to quit. CDC, in partnership with a number of national physician groups, will launch “Talk With Your Doctor” mid-way through the Tips campaign with a national press event scheduled on May 22. CDC will highlight the “Talk With Your Doctor” effort by tagging the national ads with the line: “You Can Quit. Talk with Your Doctor for Help.” These ads will air between May 27th and June 2nd. The “Talk With Your Doctor” call to action will continue through outreach and other media activities, providing a great opportunity for you to ask your patients about their tobacco use and encourage them to make a quit attempt. You are one of the most important sources of health information for your patients and their families. To maximize this opportunity, I am reaching out to you to ask that you use your influence as a health care provider to help your patients quit smoking.
The Tennessee Department of Health is inviting you to join us along with CDC, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of Physicians. Together, we can work to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke and motivate smokers to quit.
When the “Talk With Your Doctor” initiative launches on May 22nd, you will have access to a variety of materials including waiting room posters, brochures and QuitLine referral cards that you and your health care team can download from http://health.tn.gov/tobaccoquitline.htm orwww.cdc.gov/tips. A looped video for use in clinic waiting rooms may be downloaded fromwww.plowsharegroup.com/cdctips. At the same time, your patients will be seeing Tips ads in every television market in the United States. During the campaign in 2012, call volume to the free Tennessee Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT NOW) more than doubled and visits to the national website (www.smokefree.gov) increased by more than five times compared to the same 12-week period in 2011.
You see the devastation tobacco brings to your patients every day. You know tobacco use drastically increases the health care burden from chronic diseases. Let’s join together in combating this burden. In 2008 Tennessee ranked 48th in smoking prevalence in the 50 states, today we have reached 36th, yet we still have far to go. By focusing on prevention first and cessation second and taking advantage of opportunities like these, we can accelerate our journey towards one of the nation’s top 10 healthiest states. Thank you in advance for your partnership and for all you do every day to improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee.
Sincerely,
John J. Dyreyzehner, MD, MPH, FACOEM
Commissioner
Tennessee Department of Health
If you smoke, give it up as a thank you to those who made us free. If you know some one who smokes send this message on to them. Feel free to click on the links above! Quit all types of tobacco use, it will be the healthiest thing you will ever do!
And share this message with your friends even if they don’t smoke, chances are they know someone who does! Thanks for your effort!