Smoking is one of the top health concerns in Noble County, and Parkview Noble Hospital is partnering with community members and organizations to combat this harmful habit. Parkview community nurse, Leshia Howell, teaches local smoking cessation classes that provide a safe, supportive environment to help reduce or stop smoking.
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death. In Noble County, more than 25 percent of adults declare themselves to be smokers.1 The effects of smoking and secondhand smoke can affect the health of all people, regardless of age, race or gender.
“Quitting is not easy. I encourage our class participants to stop smoking and give them many resources that can help. But just recognizing how much you smoke and why you smoke is a huge step in the right direction,” Leshia said. “As with any addiction, it takes a lot of personal determination and support from others to overcome.”
Smoking cessation classes held at the New Hope Clubhouse (NHC) in Kendallville encourage members to become aware of their habits.
“I’ve learned new ways to cope with cravings,” said NHC member Barb Jarrell. Although she finds it challenging when she is with friends who smoke, the class has helped her reduce her smoking by more than 50 percent. “Being able to have lozenges to take away the craving really helped me.”
Thanks to the generosity of Parkview Noble Foundation donors, physician prescribed smoking cessation aides like lozenges and nicotine patches can be made available to class participants who cannot afford them. These aides help reduce the physical craving for nicotine, an important component of quitting.
April Scheurich, a NHC employee, learned that keeping her hands busy helped her avoid reaching for a cigarette. She found that the nicotine patches helped get her through the worst of the cravings.
All of the NHC participants agree that the support they’ve received from friends and each other has made the most difference. Talking about “triggers” that make them want to smoke has led each of them to better understand their desire to smoke.
Member Andrea Brand said that most people she knows have quit smoking. “This class inspired me to quit more than anything I’ve tried over the past years. The tips Leshia gave us and the encouragement from everyone here was really important to me,” said member Andrea Brand. “And I’ve found out that smoking makes me tired. I actually have more energy when I don’t smoke!”
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1. According to the 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment conducted by the Indiana partnership for Healthy Communities, 26.7% of adult Noble County survey participants were self-declared smokers.
