Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center Awarded Grant

Sept. 30, 2011 - PRLog -- DAYTONA BEACH – Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center has been awarded a $13,100 grant from Northeast Florida Area Health Education Center, Inc. (NEFAHEC) to provide the community with free tobacco cessation programs.

The "Quit Smoking Now" programs will be a series of six-week tobacco cessation classes, designed by an ex-smoker. A trained facilitator will guide participants through the many issues related to quitting smoking, including:

• Coping with anger, sleep problems, and cravings, which are common for those who quit smoking
• Managing stress
• How physical activity and healthy food choices can make quitting smoking easier
• How to prevent relapse (taking up smoking again)
• What to do when you have friends and family who smoke around you
• Identifying and controlling your smoking/tobacco “triggers”

The first class of the six-week series will start Thursday, November 3 at 2 p.m. at Florida Hospital Oceanside, 1st floor conference room, 264 S. Atlantic Avenue, Ormond Beach. Call toll-free 1-877-QUIT-IT-NOW to register.

“We are thankful to the NEFAHEC for providing us this grant that will allow us to help improve the health of our community. It is our hope through these programs, we will see less patients entering our hospital due to respiratory problems,” said Joyce Geno, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center Respiratory Therapist and Certified Tobacco Training Specialist who leads the smoking cessation program at the hospital.

This is the first time Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center has been awarded a grant to help provide free smoking cessation programs. During the last series of classes that began in August, 50 percent of participants were able to quit – a percentage above the national average.

In addition to providing smoking cessation classes, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center will use a portion of the grant funds to hold provider education for local physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and physical therapists. These training sessions will educate health care providers on the importance of identifying patients who have admitted tobacco addiction and want to receive help. The sessions will also provide them with resources to help their patients become smoke-free.  

According to the National Cancer Institute, smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and diminishes a person’s overall health. Cigarette smoke causes an estimated 438,000 premature deaths each year in the United States. Of these premature deaths, about 40 percent are from cancer, 35 percent are from heart disease and stroke, and 25 percent are from lung disease.

About Northeast Florida AHEC
Northeast Florida AHEC (NEFAHEC), 501-(c)-3 non-profit organization, serves the principally urban area of metropolitan Jacksonville and Duval County, as well six smaller counties including Baker, Clay, Flagler, Nassau, St. Johns and Volusia. Northeast Florida AHEC focuses on health disparities within its service areas by working with health professions students to introduce creative education and activities on nutrition, physical fitness and wellness to youth in their formative years in an effort to decrease childhood and adult obesity in rural and inner-city areas.

About Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center
Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center consists of two campuses, a 277-bed hospital in Daytona Beach and a 119-bed hospital in Ormond Beach. Our specialties include cardiology, emergency, hospice, home health, imaging, laboratory, oncology, obstetrics, neurology, physician practices, rehabilitation and women’s services. Florida Hospital Memorial was recently named one of America’s 50 Best hospitals for 2010 by HealthGrades®, an independent healthcare ratings organization. Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center is among the top one percent of all hospitals nationwide for quality outcomes. For more information, visit www.floridahospitalmemorial.org

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Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler is a nonprofit with a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ. With five hospitals, Florida Hospital is the largest hospital system in Volusia and Flagler counties, caring for nearly 650,000 patients every year.