The Ellenville Regional Rural Health Network (ERRHN) is actively engaged in tobacco cessation as part of its broader mission to reduce healthcare risks and promote overall wellness. Efforts include offering group smoking cessation programs through the American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking initiative, as well as providing resources for individuals seeking to quit.
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ERRHN’s approach often involves community health workers who connect residents with cessation support and education. By integrating tobacco cessation into its broader health and wellness initiatives, ERRHN aims to reduce tobacco use and enhance the overall health of the rural Ellenville region.
Immediate Health Benefits: Within 20 minutes of quitting, your heart rate and blood pressure drop. Within 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood returns to normal. Â
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Reduced Risk of Disease: Quitting significantly reduces the risk of numerous diseases, including various cancers (lung, mouth, throat, bladder, etc.), heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). For example, after 10 years of quitting, the risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a person who still smokes. Â
Increased Life Expectancy: Quitting smoking at any age can increase your lifespan. People who quit before age 40 can avoid almost 90% of the excess mortality caused by continued smoking.Â
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Improved Quality of Life: Former smokers report a better quality of life, including improved breathing, increased energy levels, a better sense of taste and smell, and feeling less stressed over time. Â
Financial Savings: Quitting smoking saves a significant amount of money that would have been spent on tobacco products. Â
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Benefits for Others: Quitting protects non-smokers from harmful secondhand smoke, reducing their risk of respiratory infections, heart problems, and cancer. Children of non-smokers also have fewer health issues like asthma and ear infections. Â
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Improved Fertility: Quitting smoking improves fertility in both men and women and increases the chances of a healthy pregnancy. Â
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It’s Never Too Late: The body begins to repair itself as soon as you quit, and the benefits accumulate over time, regardless of how long someone has smoked.
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Ready to quit? Contact us for assistance at 845-647-6400 ext. 281
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Most adults who smoke want to quit. In 2022, 67.7% of adults who smoked reported wanting to quit. Â
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Many try to quit. In 2022, 53.3% of adult smokers had attempted to quit in the past year. Â
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While challenging, quitting is possible. Nearly 2 in 3 adults who have ever smoked cigarettes have quit.
Freedom From Smoking is an evidence-based program that helps you develop a plan of action that leads to your quit day.You’ll also get the support you need to remain smoke free for life.
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What you will learn:
Join us into making Ellenville and the surrounding community a better place to live in. Enjoy live updates before anyone else, get class schedules and more.
