If you are a state funded program, the current situation of New York state has you concerned with what the future holds and how it may impact your organization. One organization that is an integral part of this community and is in need of our community support for future funding is the Cayuga County Tobacco Free Partnership Program. If you are a smoker or former smoker, you may not wholeheartedly agree with supporting their efforts; however, this community program has made tremendous progress to improve our environment, to change social norms and to improve the health and wellness of our community. The environment we live in should be important to us.

Did you know that smoking is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States? As of 2007, the smoking rate for Cayuga County was 30 percent. For the last four years, the Tobacco Free Program has been working to lower these statistics. With the enactment of the Clean Indoor Air Act# July 24, 2005, statewide tobacco control programs have made tremendous progress with noticeable changes all around us. The social acceptability of smoking is diminishing greatly and is not as common place.

Several of the initiatives that the tobacco program is currently working on are:

#&149; Seeking to prevent the initiation of tobacco use

#&149; Reducing social acceptability

#&149; Eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke

With the help of the media campaigns, working toward environmental change, changing attitudes, de-normalizing tobacco use, increasing awareness of the dangers of tobacco use, dangers of second hand smoke, and most importantly motivating individuals to stop, the tobacco free program plays a significant role conducting activities for health promotion and disease prevention. This program also offers cessation services at area centers in many parts of our region and the NYS Quitline (1-866-NY-QUITS) as free resources to help individuals stop smoking and work toward changing behaviors. Placing blame on those that have addictive habits does not work. Initiating a program that works to create change gradually works more effectively. And creating a healthier community is our goal. The Tobacco Free Program is an asset to our community. Help support it in any way you can!

Suzanne Hai

Auburn

Hai writes from the Cayuga Community Health Network, Inc.