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November 2011
In This Issue:
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Message from the President: 'Tis the Season
 November is a time for family and friends to celebrate and give thanks for life's blessings and opportunities. For many of us in public health, it also marks the start of "quitting season." Beginning with the Great American Smokeout and lasting through the beginning of the New Year, smokers around the country are taking one of the most important steps toward living longer, healthier lives. Recent CDC data show that more than two-thirds of American smokers want to quit smoking, but only six percent quit successfully. Tobacco use is one of the toughest addictions to beat, and support is essential. Friends and loved ones who are struggling need the support of family, friends and coworkers along the tough road to quitting for good. With the Surgeon General warning smokers that even one cigarette can damage the body, let's make sure we work tenaciously with loved ones to help them succeed. Our support could save their lives, and that is indeed something to be thankful for.
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Reason to be Thankful: "Blueprint to Quit" Launches at Walmart Stores Nationwide
Quitting smoking just got more convenient with a new national program being promoted at Walmart stores across the country. GlaxoSmithKline launched Blueprint to Quit on November 15 to help equip the 34 million smokers who shop at Walmart stores nationwide with the tools they need to beat nicotine addiction for good. The program offers discounted online behavioral support and nicotine replacement therapies as part of a comprehensive plan for people who smoke and want to quit, with evidence-based tools to increase their chances of success. Legacy's President and CEO, Cheryl G. Healton, is one of three "Wellness Team of Experts" who provide smoking cessation advice. Dr. Healton shares her own personal story of struggling to quit smoking through Walmart's Blueprint to Quit web page and in-store displays. "In the weeks between the Great American Smokeout this week and New Year's Day when so many smokers resolve to try quitting again, Blueprint to Quit will be there for smokers, in their own local Walmart stores and online with the tools they need -- from trained pharmacists to discounted NRTs and behavioral support -- to help them from start to finish," said Dr. Healton.
The Blueprint to Quit comprehensive quit-smoking program is a two-part plan that helps smokers address both the physical and psychological aspects associated with quitting smoking. The first part of the program involves using an NRT stop-smoking aid to address the physical cravings and withdrawal symptoms, and the second part uses a behavioral support program (BSP) on QuitNet to facilitate the changing of behaviors commonly associated with smoking.
For more information, please visit www.walmart.com/blueprinttoquit.
Disclaimers accompanying Dr. Healton's appearances in the campaign make it clear that, while she endorses the use of evidence-based online smoking cessation counseling and FDA-approved NRT products, she does not endorse specific brands. In addition, no corporate funding or other consideration was provided to Dr. Healton or Legacy in connection with the campaign, other than the minimum SAG-mandated payment.
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BODIES...The Exhibition Asks Guests to Kick Addiction for the Great American Smokeout
In support of the 35th Great American Smokeout, BODIES...The Exhibition is teaming up with Legacy to educate and encourage exhibit visitors to stop smoking. On Thursday, November 17, visitors who dropped a full or partial pack of cigarettes into the "commit to quit" box at the Luxor  Hotel in Las Vegas received a two-for-one discount to The Exhibition. Approximately 5,000 guests have already decided to get healthy and throw away cigarettes at The Exhibition during the last three years.
Inside The Exhibition, visitors can find information from Legacy that highlights the consequences that smoking can have on the body. Particularly, the respiratory room offers a shocking lesson on the importance of smoking prevention, showcasing healthy human lungs alongside black lungs that have been ravaged by smoking, which guests can actually hold in their hands. On the flip side, visitors can also witness the complexity and beauty of the human body through real organs and full-body specimens. For more information about the exhibition, visit http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/.
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Buffalo Bills: Winning On and Off the Field
This 2011 NFL season, Legacy has teamed up with the Buffalo Bills to help spread the life-saving messages of EX.
The partnership aims to work alongside a staple of life in Buffalo, N.Y. - the fabled Buffalo Bills, to help its fans get off the sidelines and tackle tobacco. Sports fans and smoking are often connected, and in a survey conducted by Legacy in 2009, 63 percent of sports fans identified themselves as current or former smokers; 76 percent of those current or former smokers said they had smoked while watching or attending sporting events. These results show that fans, as a group, are in need of programs to help them quit smoking.
Earlier this season, the Bills eliminated smoking from their home field, Ralph Wilson Stadium, giving fans a chance to enjoy the on-field action without suffering from the negative off-field health effects of tobacco. In celebration of Lung Cancer Awareness Month this November, Bills wide receiver Donald Jones stepped out to share his story and support the quit smoking initiative. Jones' grandfather has a smoking-related lung disease, and Donald played a role in helping his grandfather quit smoking a few years ago. "It is important to help fans have access to the necessary resources to help them quit smoking," said Jones. "The online quit smoking program is a great way for fans to get the assistance they need to make a positive change in their lives and become healthier. If I had this program available to me when I was trying to help my grandfather, maybe I wouldn't have had to hide his cigarettes from him all the time!"
Read more about what Legacy is doing in Buffalo.
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Cigar Use High Among Maryland Teens
On Nov. 17, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) released data showing that the use of cigars has increased among Maryland youth, even while the use of cigarettes has declined substantially. The Maryland data show:
- Youth are shifting to cigars. While cigarette smoking has decreased among high school youth by nearly 40 percent since 2000, cigar use among high school students has increased by more than 11 percent during that same time period.
- Youth are attracted to flavored cigars. More than 76 percent of underage cigar smokers in high school smoke these flavored cigars. Available cigar flavors now include strawberry, watermelon, grape, peach, vanilla, chocolate and wine. Meanwhile, candy and fruit-flavored cigarettes are not permitted to be sold.
- Cigars can be inexpensive. Small cigars can be purchased individually, sometimes for less than $.70, less than a candy bar or ice cream cone. In contrast, cigarettes cannot be purchased individually, and a pack generally costs $5.00 to $7.00 or more.
Next month, the Department is launching a public health campaign with a new website, www.thecigartrap.com, to highlight the dangers of cheap, flavored cigars. Ads will appear on billboards, transit mediums as well as print and radio media outlets.
For more information, read the full press release here.
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Spanish Speaking Smokers Get the Help They Need
Nearly 5.1 million Hispanic adults in the United States smoke, and smoking takes a deadly toll Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer among Hispanic men and the second-leading cancer killer among Hispanic women. Just in time for Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Legacy is expanding the "Bi-Lingual Education Program on Lung Cancer Scree ning and Smoking Cessation," through a new educational grant from Genentech, A Member of the Roche Group.
Legacy will print and disseminate thousands of copies of the Spanish/English EX "fotonovela" to support cessation among Spanish-speaking individuals as well as a Spanish language fact sheet to guide patient/physician discussion on whether smokers and former smokers should be screened for lung cancer.
For more information about this grant, contact Robin Kornhaber at rkornhaber@legacyforhealth.org, or Amy Engel at aengel@legacyforhealth.org.
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Trivia Night Draws Supports to Beat Tobacco
On November 15, 2011 Legacy's New York City Young Professionals Committee hosted a Fall Trivia Night at the King's Head Tavern near Union Square. Nearly 125 young adults enjoyed an evening of challenging rounds of trivia and great prizes, all in an effort to raise funds and awareness about Legacy's life-saving work in tobacco prevention and smoking cessation.
For more information on Legacy's Young Professionals Committee, please e-mail Samantha Dodds at sdodds@legacyforhealth.org or visit www.legacyforhealth.org/yp.
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We Are Grateful for Your Support
As 2011 winds down, we want to take this opportunity to thank all those who have made donations to support Legacy's work. This support is more important than ever to Legacy's ability to offer vital programs on both the national and local levels. Every donation makes a difference in our work and can help save so many lives.
If you have not had a chance, here are some of the many ways you can help:
· Make a tax-deductible gift to Legacy -visit www.legacyforhealth.org and click on Donate. You can even decide to make gifts in honor of loved ones as your holiday gifts to them.
· If your company has a matching gift program you can double the size of your donation by asking them to match your gift!
· Make a gift of appreciated stock or securities. Call Anthony O'Toole at 202-454-5557.
· If you are age 70 ½ or older, talk to your financial advisor about making a charitable donation from your IRA to Legacy - it is a great way to support Legacy and take advantage of an attractive donation that may not be available after 2011.
· Shop online at GoodShop.com, selecting "American Legacy Foundation" as your charity of choice and Legacy will receive a percentage of every purchase.
· If you are a federal employee, choose "American Legacy Foundation, CFC # 19203" as the charity you want to support in this year's Combined Federal Campaign.
Thank you, again, for all you do to help Legacy in its life-saving work.
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