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The Florida Department of Health works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.

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Tobacco Programs

Florida Department of Health in Hendry County

  •  (863) 674-4041
  •  

    Fax

    (863) 674-4076
  •  

    Mailing Address

    LaBelle - 1140 Pratt Blvd; 33935 

    Clewiston - 1100 South Olympia Ave 33440 

     

Overview of Tobacco-Free Florida

Who are we?  DOH-Hendry County's Tobacco Prevention Program combats tobacco in the county partnering with businesses, prevention & education agencies, and area schools.

What do we do? The Florida Department of Health in Hendry County, along with the Tobacco Free Partnership of Hendry County and Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT), works in the following areas in its efforts to create a tobacco-free Hendry County.

■ School Campus Policy: We are working to create one comprehensive, 12-component tobacco policy at all K-12 schools in Hendry County.

■ Eliminating the Marketing of Tobacco Products to Kids: We are working to pass resolutions throughout the county to eliminate the sale of flavored tobacco products that target kids.  We are also increasing awareness of retail advertising tactics used by Big Tobacco to lure youth.

■ Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing (Apartments, condos, etc.): Unintentional exposure to secondhand smoke in apartments and condos is a real danger to tenant health.  Property managers can save money, increase marketability, and protect health tenants by implementing smoke-free policies.

■ Increasing Access to Cessation Services & Employer Cessation Coverage: Quitting can be very hard, but it's not impossible.  We connect individuals to the help, resources, and support that give them the best chance to quit for good.  We help employers encourage their workers to quit by guiding them in the implementation of tobacco-free policies and promoting "help quitting" services in workplaces.

Health Effects

Tobacco Health Effects

Is smoking cigarettes really worth losing 14 years of your life?         

Using tobacco causes many other health problems, but we should move on to cover other things because it isn’t going to happen to you - right? You won't be among the people that become addicted. And, even if you do become addicted, you won't be among the 50% that get a chronic and fatal disease from it, or be among the 1 in 3 that dies from it - right?

What about the cost? The average pack a day smoker will spend over $38,000 over 30 years of smoking (if they live that long). What about other costs? More and more employers are refusing to hire smokers.

This is because employers know that smokers cost them more money to employ than non-smokers, because smokers have higher illness rates and lower productivity. Employers are not in business to lose money. When you go to apply for a job, you will be competing against the 80% of the population that does not smoke.

You are likely to have to pay more than non-smokers for health insurance. You will have to pay more for auto and life insurance.

Consider the dating scene. Since 80% of the population does not smoke, your dating options in the years to come will be severely limited if you become a smoker. Even if you are able to impress somebody with some special WOW factor, that WOW factor will wear off soon because of your EWWW factor. You might be able to hold on for a little while, but eventually the EWWW factor will override any WOW factor you may have and you'll be going to the movies alone.

So, if a "friend" suggests you try smoking, think about some of these things and consider just how broke and lonely you could be.            

Secondhand Smoke Health Effects

 

Why is second-hand smoke a risk for kids? Second-hand smoke hurts kids!

•Ear Infections

• Bronchitis

• Asthma Attacks

• Colds, Coughs

• Greater chance of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (S.I.D.S.)

If you are a smoker:

• Don’t smoke in your house -smoke outside instead

• Don’t smoke in your car, even with the window or vents open

• Air cleaners don’t work; they won’t take the smoke out of the air in your home

• Ask friends or family not to smoke in your home, or around your children

• Consider quitting! Call the Florida Quit for Life Line: 1-877-822-6669 or call the Hendry County Health Department at (863) 674-4041 ext. 128.

If you are a non-smoker:

• Don’t let anyone else smoke in your home or car

• Ask friends or family not to smoke in your home or around your children

• Let people know if their cigarette smoke is causing you problems

 

Electronic Cigarettes

The emergence of electronic cigarettes (also known as e-cigarettes, vapors, vaporizers, or nicotine vaporizers) has inspired considerable debate and discussion regarding their safety, ability to help smokers quit, and the risks they pose to children and teens. While the makers of e-cigarettes claim they are a safe alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes, there is uncertainty as to whether e-cigarettes are a safe alternative to smoking and Floridians should be very cautious. The Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida advises consumers to wait for reliable scientific evidence on their safety and effectiveness to become available before using e-cigarettes.

Are E-Cigarettes a Safe Alternative to smoking?

Because there is so much yet to be determined about E-Cigarettes, Tobacco Free Florida and the Florida Department of Health cannot endorse e-cigarettes as a beneficial step for smokers who are attempting to quit. Learn more about E-Cigarettes

 

Say No! 3 Ways to Quit Tobacco Use

Over-the-Phone: The Florida Quitline is available to anyone living in Florida who wants to try to quit smoking. The program offers the following services:

■Counseling sessions

■Self-help materials

■Counseling & materials in English and Spanish (Translation service for other languages)

■TDD service for hearing impaired

■Pharmacotherapy assistance

If you or someone you know wants to be free from tobacco, please call the Quitline at: 1-877-U-CAN-NOW (1-877-822-6669). 

Or contact your local tobacco prevention specialist (insert quick link to “Tobacco Prevention Program” Section)             

Online:

Under Florida law e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public-records request, do not send electronic mail to this agency. To sign up by email: HealthyLifestyles@doh.state.fl.us

In-Person:

For more information on how to quit smoking or to join a local cessation class please reference the information below.

What: Quit Smoking Now: A free 6-session program developed by ex-smokers for those who want to become ex-smokers.

Where: Hendry Regional Medical Center “Where it’s All about Getting Better.”

Who: Feel free to contact Angelica Pena at (863) 983-1123.

Facilitators are trained tobacco cessation specialists and counselors who provide participants with the knowledge, techniques, and support necessary to quit using tobacco.


Florida Department of Health, Hendry

Tobacco Prevention Programs

 

Hendry County

Amber Conley

Tobacco Prevention Specialist

(863) 674-4041 ext. 128

Amber.Conley@FLHealth.gov

1140 Pratt Boulevard LaBelle, FL. 33935

Glades County

Teresa Coco

Health Educator Consultant

1021 Health Park Drive, Moore Haven, FL  33471

(863) 946-0707 ext. 423

Teresa.Coco@FLHealth.gov

Students Working Against Tobacco

SWAT is Florida's statewide youth organization working to mobilize, educate and equip Florida youth to revolt against and de-glamorize Big Tobacco. These students are a united movement of empowered youth working towards a tobacco free future.

The mission is simple: Just share the facts and let you decide for yourself.

SWAT empowers Florida youth to educate their peers about the manipulative tactics of Big Tobacco so that together we can take a stand and make a change for the next generation.

There is a group of people on one side selling a product (cigarettes, cigars, hookah, chewing tobacco and more) that some teens are using. Those products are highly addictive and many teens that begin using them are never able to quit. On the other side, groups like SWAT are working to make sure as many teens as possible never start using tobacco.

Now that you know a little more about us, it is time to help FIGHT BACK and save a generation of Floridians from tobacco addiction. You must be in middle or high school age 11-17 to join. Call 850-595-6506 to find out what you can do to be a part of the movement. (Click the green arrow)

On Saturday, February 22, 2014 Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) youth, SWAT Advisers and Hendry Tobacco-Free Partnership members from LaBelle participated in the Annual Swamp Cabbage Festival. This year the students and Partnership members came up with the theme: "Heroes Do What's Right!" During the event the students and adults focused on getting the message out that Heroes are everyday people that make the choice to do what is right and to fight for change.

Food for Thought Tobacco Use

 

  • A pack-a-day habit costs close to $2,000 per year!  If an individual smokes an average of 15-30 years, that’s a brand new car!
  • Nearly 90% of adult smokers began at, or before, the age of 18.
  • Secondhand smoke has been estimated to cause about 46,000 deaths per year from heart disease in NON SMOKERS!
  • Flavored tobacco products are extremely attractive to youth and are considered “starter” products for a childhood habit to develop into a lifelong addiction.
  • Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.
  • An estimated 28,700 Floridians die each year from smoking related causes.
  • More than 2.5 million Floridians, 17.5% of the adult population, are current cigarette smokers.
  • Each day more than 3,450 young people between 12 and 17 years of age smoke their first cigarette and 850 become daily smokers.
  • More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.
  • A smoker inhales only 15% of the smoke from a cigarette; the other 85% becomes second-hand smoke.
  • Children exposed to second hand smoke have more asthma attacks, sinus & ear infections, allergies, bronchitis, pneumonia and croup.
  • Smoking decreases a person's life expectancy anywhere from 7 to 20 years.
  • Cigarette smoking during pregnancy can result in low birth weight babies.
  • Smoking has been associated with infertility, miscarriages, tubal pregnancies, infant mortality and childhood morbidity.
  • Additionally, cigarette smoking may cause long-term learning disabilities.
  •  Each day 88 Floridians die as a result of tobacco use.

 

Tobacco Quick Links (Opens in a new window)

http://www.flquitline.com/

https://tobaccofreeflorida.com/

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco

http://www.whyquit.com/

http://www.becomeanex.org/

http://www.mylastdip.com/

http://www.killthecan.com/

http://teen.smokefree.gov/