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Op-Ed: Fight 4 Your Life: Berkshire CountyBy John Auerbach - June 09, 2008
Department of Public Health
In a region of Massachusetts known for its beauty and an emphasis on healthy living, the statistics about smoking and the people of Berkshire County aren't very pretty. In fact, they're downright scary.
In North Adams, over 30 percent of the population are smokers; in Pittsfield, the rate is more than 26 percent. Compared to the statewide average of 18 percent, Berkshire County's smoking rates are shockingly high. Even more frightening, statistics show, that among pregnant women, more than 33 percent in North Adams and 26 percent in Pittsfield are smokers. Statewide, that figure is 7 percent.
One person dies every hour of every day in Massachusetts from smoking — about 9,000 people annually — and smoking remains the No. 1 preventable cause of disease and premature death in the commonwealth and in the United States. Because of the area's high smoking rates, Berkshire County residents are disproportionally affected.
But many Berkshire County residents say they want to quit smoking, according to the Department of Public Health. Fifty-seven percent of the smokers in the county have reported that they have made at least one attempt to quit in the past year. In prior surveys, 28 percent of the county's current smokers said they planned to quit in the next 30 days.
Now, help arrives for those who want it. State and local public health officials, health care leaders, lawmakers and advocates have unveiled a program that will provide two weeks of free nicotine patches to those who call the state's Quitline at 1-800-Try-To-STOP. Approximate retail value of the patch kits is $50.
The goal is to get at least 10 percent of Berkshire County's estimated 23,700 smokers to make a quit attempt.
Smokers are more than twice as likely to be able to quit for good if they get support and use medications like the patch. Along with free nicotine patches, Quitline callers will also receive information on quit-smoking programs in Berkshire County, including the Quitlinks program at North Adams Regional Hospital, the Hillcrest Hospital Tobacco Treatment Program at Berkshire Medical Center, Pittsfield, and the Tobacco Treatment Program at Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington.
These programs are funded in part by the state Department of Public Health, and offer affordable individual and group counseling support, as well as insurance coverage information for quit-smoking medicines. Some insurance plans, including MassHealth and Commonwealth Care, help with the cost of medications and counseling to help smokers quit.
No one is saying it's easy to quit smoking. But it happens every day. An estimated 32,716 Berkshire County adults — nearly a third of the population — report they've already quit.
Nicotine-patch giveaways have proven to be among the most successful programs in helping smokers to make a quit attempt. The goal is for hundreds of Berkshire County residents to soon be able to say, "I did it."
Health officials, health-care leaders and the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program are committed to ending the suffering caused by tobacco use. Working together with the residents of Berkshire County, more and more residents can capture the opportunity to live tobacco-free in this region synonymous with natural beauty and health.
Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach
Rep. Daniel E. Bosley, D-North Adams
Rep. Denis E. Guyer, D-Dalton
Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, D-Lenox
Rep. Christopher N. Speranzo, D-Pittsfield |
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