Medical and Spiritual Leaders Comment on Smoking: Indiana is Better Off Due to Ten Years of Tobacco-Free Progress.

Evansville and Vanderburgh have made Progress but are still not a Smokefree Workplace City and County

This year Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Agency (ITPC) celebrates its tenth anniversary of fighting back against the number one preventable cause of disease and death—tobacco use. Over the last ten years Indiana has moved a long way toward becoming a tobacco-free state. The success of the program is due to the first-rate tobacco control program and trained tobacco control professionals that work at the community-level, including Evansville-based Smokefree Communities and the Empty Pack Coalition.

Indiana’s tobacco control program has seen tremendous progress in reducing the toll of tobacco use on Hoosiers. In light of the tenth anniversary here is an overview of some of the successes:
• Smoking rates for high school youth have dropped by 42 percent, resulting in 49,000 fewer youth smokers.
• Adult smoking rates have decreased from 27 percent to 23 percent. This historic low rate means there are 208,000 fewer smokers in Indiana.
• Per capita cigarette consumption in Indiana has declined by 40 percent, meaning those who smoke are smoking less.

These declines in youth and adult smoking will continue to save Hoosiers money. These reductions in smoking will save $3 billion in future health care costs, including $512 million in savings to Medicaid.
In Vanderburgh County, significant progress has been made; together our faith, health and community organizations have made major strides to address our high smoking rate. During these past ten years we have seen a major shift in smoke-free policies.
When ITPC, Smokefree Communities and Empty Pack began, there were no tobacco-free campuses for our schools and hospitals. Today, our parents know their children are protected from deadly exposure to secondhand smoke when attending a public school in Evansville. Today, all patients and families are protected with tobacco free policies when on the grounds of all of our major hospitals while they receive the best care that can be provided by our city’s health care teams. That’s good common sense.

Today, smokers that desire to quit can get free help from the Indiana Tobacco Quitline. This essential service has helped more than 60,000 Hoosiers quit tobacco since it began just four years ago. In Vanderburgh County more than 1,500 smokers called the quitline since 2006. Our local doctors, nurses, dentists and employers are using this service to encourage their patients and employees to make a decision to become tobacco free.

But the battle to save Hoosiers from the destruction that tobacco levies on Evansville families is far from over. The programs provided by Smokefree Communities, Empty Pack and the nearly 2,000 other organizations statewide working to reduce tobacco use are still necessary and needed more than ever. As the social acceptability of tobacco use has changed and quitting resources are more available, ITPC and its leadership are vital to our continued success.

The last decade has proven what some thought was not possible–to change Hoosier culture and social norms about smoking. While many successes have occurred, much work remains to protect Hoosiers from the deadly harms of tobacco. This is why our health community and our faith leaders have joined in support with the Hoosier Faith and Health Coalition, to celebrate the successes and to continue the fight for improving and sustaining our tobacco-free progress.

Co-authored by:
Timothy Flesch, President and CEO, St. Mary’s Medical Center, 485-4827
Linda E. White, President and CEO, Deaconess Health System, 450-2250
Dr. Ray Nicholson, Vanderburgh County Health Officer, 435-5684
John Herring, Jr., Carver Community Organization’s Empty Pack Coalition, 812-402-3170 Ext 2107
Rev. Adrian Brooks, Memorial Baptist Church, 812-422-7676
Rev. Rabon Lindell Turner, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 425-3498
Rev. Dr. George Huffsmith, First Baptist Church, 812-425-8296