Impact of New Regulations on Health in CNY

Syracuse, NY (January 20, 2017) – As our nation looks to a new administration today and new leadership in many departments, there is potential for several changes in regulations that impact tobacco use and the health of our community.

We have seen Governor Cuomo recently make changes to help improve the regulation of tobacco use through adding e-cigarettes to the state Clean Indoor Air Act and taxing vapor products. There is also potential for changes at the federal level.

“The potential for changes in laws and regulations is exactly why it is important for our community to be well educated and able to make good choices about their health when it comes to tobacco use,” said Christopher Owens, Director of the CNY Regional Center for Tobacco Health Systems at St. Joseph’s Health.

New York State Tobacco Control Programs have been proven to reduce youth smoking and help current smokers quit which saves lives as well as millions of state tax dollars.

“The cost of tobacco use can be measured in dollars and lives. Health care costs are staggering and cost the taxpayers of NYS more than $10.3 billion annually. The human toll is immeasurable in terms of those who suffer debilitating illnesses and numbers of lives lost,” said Owens. “The NYS Tobacco Control Program has made significant progress but there is much more work to do.”

In New York State, more than 28,200 lives are lost due to tobacco use annually. Unfortunately, we know how difficult it is to break the addiction. It takes most tobacco users at least seven quit attempts to become fully abstinent.

The facts are most cold turkey attempts to quit smoking without help will not work out and such quit attempts succeed as infrequently as two to four percent of the time. However, there are ways to dramatically improve the odds of success, even if tobacco users have relapsed since their New Year’s resolutions – or never got started. Quitting smoking is a process not an event, therefore treating it as such and doing a few simple things can boost their odds of quitting.

Here are five tips to help tobacco users in Central New York start to take control of their health, and support the health of the people around them:

Consult their primary care provider about quitting and using Nicotine Replacement Therapy and/or cessation medications. Patients who are encouraged to quit by their primary care provider and begin using a cessation medication are two to three times more likely to remain smoke-free.

1. Seek supportive counseling via local cessation programs, support groups and/or the New York State Smokers Quitline at 1-866-697-8487 or www.nysmokefree.com.
2. Start recording smoking and other tobacco use habits, for example: where, when and why they use tobacco and what they are thinking or feeling at the time.
3. Start limiting where they smoke or use other tobacco products. For example: stop smoking indoors or in their car.
4. Delay smoking and tobacco use when a craving happens. Start with a couple of minutes and work their way up. Even a very addicted smoker can delay a craving for two minutes.

We don’t know what will happen with regulations for tobacco use, and for the many tobacco products available on the market today. And so the responsibility for our community’s health falls on us.

To learn more about how tobacco use affects health in Central New York, or to get help with smoking cessation, visit www.sjhsyr.org/tobacco-cessation.

About The Central New York Regional Center of Tobacco Health Systems

The Central New York Regional Center of Tobacco Health Systems at St. Joseph’s Health is a grant funded program through the New York State Department of Health Bureau of Tobacco Control. The Center covers 14 counties within Central New York, working with healthcare systems to improve the reach and delivery of evidence-based tobacco dependence treatment with a focus on agencies and organizations that serve people with low education, low income, or serious mental illness. For more information, visit www.sjhsyr.org/tobacco-cessation.

About St. Joseph’s Health

St. Joseph’s Health is a non-profit regional health care system based in Syracuse, N.Y., providing services to patients throughout Central New York and northern Pennsylvania. From primary to specialty to home care, to our Magnet-recognized hospital, and in collaboration with our community partners, St. Joseph's Health is advancing the health of the communities we serve through an expanding range of healthcare services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. Ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, U.S. News “Best Regional Hospital” and a 15-time winner of the National Research Corporation Consumer Choice award, St. Joseph’s is widely recognized for quality, value and delivering the highest patient satisfaction. St. Joseph’s Health is affiliated with Franciscan Companies and St. Joseph’s Physicians and is a part of Trinity Health.

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