November is the Month to Quit Smoking for Good

Nov. 15, 2012 - PRLog -- POW’R Tobacco Cessation Center is uniting with affiliates this November to mark National COPD Awareness Month and National Lung Cancer Awareness Month with the goal of reducing smoking in New York’s lower Hudson Valley.  These national initiatives, which happen to fall in the same month, remind us of the devastating health consequences that are all too often linked to smoking.  


Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, better known as COPD, is a disease that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.  In partnership with the American Lung Association of the Northeast, POW’R Tobacco Cessation Center provides comprehensive information and education about the disease to support those affected and their families.

“COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States.  Twelve million Americans have been diagnosed, but there are an estimated 12 million more who  have the disease and don’t know it,”  said Marianne Zacharia, Senior Director of Tobacco Education for the American Lung Association of the Northeast. “The American Lung Association of the Northeast is working with members of the New York COPD Coalition and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute’s “Learn More, Breathe Better” campaign to educate people about the signs and symptoms of COPD and to urge them to be screened to determine if they have the disease.  The earlier COPD is detected, the better the outcome for treatment. Quitting smoking is the most important step that a person can take."

In Westchester County alone, lung cancer is the number one cancer killer, with 87% of all diagnoses being directly attributable to smoking.  POW’R Tobacco Cessation Center supports the Lung Association’s new nationwide lung cancer initiatives that address information and education services, changes to public policy, and advancing a cure for the disease.

“We work with healthcare providers to assist them in helping their patients quit tobacco every day of the year, not just in November,” said Didi Raxworthy, Director of POW’R Cessation Center, “However, this special month gives us a public platform to share our services with a larger audience, and improves the chances that more tobacco users will quit.  It is not lost on me that November is also a time of thanks and reflection. Many New Yorkers may add ‘quitting smoking’ to the list of things they are thankful for this Thanksgiving as a result of these important initiatives.”

“Millions of people in the Northeast are living with COPD, lung cancer and other lung diseases, and countless more family members and loved ones are affected by their diagnoses,” said Jeff Seyler, President & CEO of the American Lung Association of the Northeast. “The American Lung Association is committed to reducing the burden of lung disease on all Americans through education, advocacy and research. We’re proud to partner with the POW’R Tobacco Cessation center to reduce the burden of these diseases in the lower Hudson Valley.”

For all who are interested in making a Quit Smoking attempt they should talk with their doctors.  For more information, call the New York Smoker’s Quitline at 1 (866) NY-Quits (1 866 697-8487) or visit POW’R Cessation’s website at http://www.powrcessationcenter.org