February 2020 Volume 2, Issue 2

ARMC Tobacco Cessation Department

NEW-LUNG Newsletter

January 2020 - A new law, passed by the US Food & Drug Administration prohibits the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21, effective immediately. President Donald Trump signed the new law as part of the new billion dollar defense spending bill. For years, bipartisan lawmakers have been looking for ways to make the “tobacco 21” law happen nationwide. The senators behind the bill made it happen by attaching the measure to a must-sign bill to prevent a government shutdown. The new tobacco restriction laws will raise the mimimum tobaccobuying age from 18 to 21. The rest of the United States will join the current 9 states and 500 cities that have tobacco age restrictions in place. President Trump took advice from the FDA to implement these changes admist health advisors urging for something to be done about youth smoking rates. If you know a youth that needs to quit smoking, 1-866-NEW-LUNG has a specific quit smoking and quit vaping curriculum for youth. Call NEW-LUNG to schedule an youth individual counseling session. Howard, J. (2019, December 27). The US officially raises the tobacco buying age to 21.

Retrieved January 31, 2020, from CNN.com

In January, we helped 278 people quit smoking!

186 Adults Served

92 Youths Served

Calendar Highlights

• February is American Heart Month

• Feb. 26 - Ash Wednesday

• Feb. 29 - Time Refund Day (Leap Day)

Quit Tip: Make a Date

Set a “quit date” for yourself. Pick a significant day to you

and pledge that you will quit on that date.

New Possible Tobacco Federal Agency

February 2020 - Following the new nationwide tobacco regulations, President Trump is considering taking tobacco out of the Food & Drug Administration’s responsibility.

The new proposal would remove the FDA’s oversight of tobacco (and e-cigarette) products and create a new agency under the Health & Human Services Department. The new agency will have a single mission: to control tobacco and its impact on public health. With one major focus, the new tobacco agency will be able to “respond strategically to the growing complexity of new tobacco products,” according to the budget plan, laid out by the Trump administration. In addition, the FDA will be able to return to their intended mission to regulate the safety of food and medical products.

The new tobacco agency will still be under the supervision of the Department of Health & Human Services. President Trump’s new Tobacco Agency is a proposal, which needs to be passed by Congress.

This new tobacco agency will aim and focus on advancing tobacco regulation and decrease youth tobacco use.

If you or someone you know are thinking about quitting tobacco, visit www.1866newlung.com/free-materials to get started on your quit journey. There, you will find resources about quitting and how you can plan your own quit journey. Call 1-866-NEW-LUNG if you would like to learn how to receive a FREE supply of nicotine patches. Source: N.A. (12 February 2020). Inclusion of menthol seen as key to successful flavored tobacco ban.

Retrieved from Thehill.com

Staff Spotlight: Nang Atphasouk

I graduated with a Child Development major and prior to my position at NEW-LUNG, I have never experienced working in a health related field, so it was all very new to me. From running an after school tutoring center, I know how to talk to kids and teach them how to grow and develop into adults, but talking and teaching adults was a new game. Understanding the specifics of how the program works was also tough at first, but people in this department are so wonderful and passionate, the transition was easy. My goal at the moment is to improve my leadership skills and support my colleagues’ development. I want to be an inspirational example for my tutors and students that there are different definitions of a good “leader.” Fast forward 6 years, between running my tutoring center and working at NEW-LUNG, I cannot see myself doing anything else.

NEW-LUNG Testimonials

In Collaboration with: Peter Hilen of Telecare TREEHouse Programs

Telecare TREEhouse Programs have been working with NEW-LUNG starting in May of 2019 when all three of our programs began exploring the option of becoming a non-smoking program. NEW-LUNG was instrumental in providing supportive research and material for our residents at all three locations prior and during the transition. We are proud to say that since going tobacco-free, we have maintained a strong working relationship with NEW-LUNG and they provide two resident-attended groups a month at all three programs. These groups have been extremely helpful in supporting our residents with education surrounding a tobacco-free lifestyle and resources to support them in quitting. We have been enormously pleased with NEW-LUNG and their assistance. Residents will often discuss topics raised during the monthly educational groups provided by NEW-LUNG during their tenure in our program. Some of the comments we hear from residents are they had no idea how much more energy they would have after they stopped smoking and started to implement a quit plan. NEW-LUNG has not only been instrumental in assisting our residents, but they have also been very supportive of our staff. Prior to our smoking cessation plan, there was an enormous amount of anxiety from the employees regarding resident response to not being able to smoke at the program. NEW-LUNG was able to provide the employees with additional resources to assist those residents and address their concerns about becoming a tobacco-free program. All three programs continue to work monthly with NEWLUNG and we look forward to having a collaborative relationship as we move forward.

I’ve always wanted to quit smoking. I’ve tried quitting by myself, but it did not help. I ran across a billboard that said NEW-LUNG and I called the number - very nice people. I went in and got the patches for free. I started the patches at 21 mg because I smoked a pack a day, but as soon as I put the patch on, I didn’t even think about cigarettes. It was awesome! I could stand next to someone smoking and I didn’t even crave it. These people are very friendly, nice, helpful, and thoughtful. I’ve gone 2 weeks now (smoke-free) and I feel great. Food tastes better, clothes smell better, everything’s great! It’s really something to think about, but you need to really want to quit smoking. You can’t just say “oh, I’ll try it.” You have to want to quit smoking and I really wanted to. This is going to help me out tremendously. -Gary Davis

FREE QUIT SMOKING CLASSES

Please RSVP if you would like to sign up.

CALL 1-866-NEW LUNG (639-5864)

Free quit vaping classes are available.

*Must attend ALL CLASSES of 5 session class series.

Participants receive a FREE SUPPLY OF NICOTINE PATCHES.

Funded by the Orange County Health Care Agency/Tobacco Use Prevention Program.