Madison County Medical Society Joins Efforts To Help Smokers ‘Commit to Quit’
– Special to WEKY AM 1340 AM –
Dr. John Johnstone of Richmond Integral to Campaign
The Madison County Medical Society has partnered with the Kentucky Medical Association and the Kentucky Foundation for Medical Care to help smokers in Madison County kick the habit. The statewide campaign, “Commit to Quit,” encourages smokers to talk to their physician about the best method for them to stop using tobacco. Several studies have shown higher rates of success when physicians are involved in efforts to quit smoking.
A key player in the campaign is the chair of the Madison County Board of Health, John M. Johnstone, MD, who is also president of the Madison County Medical Society and chair of the Kentucky Medical Association’s Public Health Commission. The KMA commission has made efforts to help smokers kick the habit a priority because of very harmful effects smoking has on health. The campaign provides resources though a website, www.committoquitky.com, and on social media through its Facebook page, Commit2QuitKy, and on Twitter, @Commit2QuitKY.
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in this country, state and county. This includes disease such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, emphysema and bronchitis. In Madison County, 32 percent of adults self-report as smokers, compared to 30 percent in Kentucky as a whole; 14 percent of teens self-report as smokers. Dr. Johnstone said it is very important to note that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kentucky leads the nation in the number of cancer deaths and is second in the nation in percent of smokers.
“There is no one single action a person can take that is more important for good health than avoiding any and all exposure to tobacco products,” Dr. Johnstone said. The Madison County Medical Society is reaching out to the community with the “Commit to Quit,” campaign as well as actively supporting the passage of a statewide comprehensive law to protect nonsmokers from the extremely harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
Dr. Johnstone is also a KMA Community Connector, physicians who are recognized by the Kentucky Medical Association as leaders because of their roles in medicine and in their communities.
“Physicians play a major role in teaching, encouraging and counseling our patients in the importance of tobacco avoidance,” he said. “We are all too familiar with the devastating health, financial and social impact that smoking causes.”
Dr. Johnstone’s roles in organized medicine and in his Madison County community illustrate what it means to be a physician leader and a KMA Community Connector.
For more information and resources, visit www.committoquitky.com. Follow @Commit2QuitKY on Twitter and like CommittoQuitKY on Facebook.