Clearfield Hospital Offers Smoking Cessation Program...
CLEARFIELD – Clearfield Hospital is offering a new program designed to help pregnant women who smoke quit the habit and protect the health of their unborn child.
Clearfield Hospital is offering a new program to help pregnant women who smoke quit the habit. The program is called Smoke-Free Mothers-to-Be. The hospital’s certified smoking cessation facilitators are, from left, Dave Barber, Shelley Spicher and Amy Dixon. To learn more, please call 768-2285. (Photo provided by Amy Duke)
Smoke-Free Mothers-to-Be involves a series of free smoking cessation classes and monthly sessions with a certified smoking cessation counselor. Women who complete the program, quit smoking and stay smoke-free for one year after the birth of the infant are eligible to receive free diapers for up to a year.
“The greatest gift a mother-to-be can give her child is to quit smoking. Second-hand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals and more than 200 of them are toxic or cause cancer or other illnesses. Children and unborn babies absolutely should not to be exposed to those dangers,” said Shelley Spicher of Clearfield Hospital and facilitator of Smoke-Free Mothers-to-Be.
Spicher said smoking while pregnant can lead to miscarriage, low birth weight, still birth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and premature delivery. Children who are exposed to second-hand smoke are at increased risk for asthma, bronchitis, colds and ear infections, to name a few health problems.
Smoke-Free Mothers-to-Be counselors help participants understand why they smoke, help them set a quit date and provide tools to manage stress and withdrawal symptoms.
“The benefits of quitting are realized immediately. When smokers quit, within minutes of smoking that last cigarette the body begins to notice an improvement. Within 20 minutes, blood pressure decreases and the body temperature of hands and feet returns to normal. At eight hours, oxygen levels begin to return to normal. And that’s just the beginning,” Spicher said.
After 24 hours, the chance of heart attack decreases, and after a couple of months, circulation improves and lung function increases.
Smoke-Free Mothers-to-Be is funded, in part, by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Those interested in learning more about the program are invited to a free luncheon scheduled for Jan. 14 beginning at 12:30 p.m. in the First Floor Conference Room at Clearfield Hospital. The presentation will last about an hour. Those who wish to attend should RSVP by contacting Spicher at 768-2285.
Source: http://www.gantdaily.com/news/71/ARTICLE/40601/2009-01-09.html
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One Response to “Clearfield Hospital Offers Smoking Cessation Program for Pregnant Women”
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January 15th, 2009 at 1:07 am
When I was smoking, I was in front of a mall, and a pregnant women came to me and asked for a cigarette. I looked at her, and asked “Are you sure”, She rudely gave me a bad look, and went away. Can’t believe how some people act these days.
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