Healthy East Chicago

Rivas's staff of health care educators worked well as volunteers from around the community to help participants choose their own personal methods that will lead them to success. They work on relaxation techniques; utilize one-on-one sessions as well as group discussion that help pinpoint areas of stress which is often times the number one factor in relapses. Staffers also encourage participants to choose a target date to quit this, makes the process real and goal oriented.

Another issue that has come to light is a new awareness of "third hand smoke" which is the harmful residue of smoke that is on clothing, furniture and in your car. Third hand smoke has been linked to learning disorders in children of pregnant women who were exposed to cigarette smoke. Those who do not smoke in the presence of children should understand that there is still danger to children born and in the womb, "It is good to make people aware of this because after all no one wants to hurt their children….these are our youth, this is our future.

Victoria Voller

You enter a restaurant to enjoy an evening out with good friends and good food. Relaxing, you engage in conversation and then it happens the stench of cigarette smoke fills the air and your evening is ruined.

Ideally, the dream of Mrs. Victoria Voller would be to teach and train Lake County about the deadly hazards of smoking. Voller, a Tobacco Training Specialist with the Lake County Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Coalition, knows first hand about the difficulty of eating out in a world of smokers. "I have always hated cigarette smoke, since I was a teenager. Everyone smoked but me." Being highly sensitive to smoke, Voller was a cessation officer in the making.

Voller is as concerned for families as she is for business establishments. Her concern is for the children and for household pets as well. "I have a column that addressed the issue of cessation called 'Ask Ollie', I believe so firmly in protecting children, cats, dogs, lizards and birds that can all be negatively affected by thoughtless smokers that I'll be writing about it."

When asked why she works with tobacco prevention and cessation, Voller stated, "When you retire, you can focus on what you believe in rather than what you are paid to do, and I believe in this."

VOICE Eric Evans

VOICE The Lake County Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Coalition welcomes its new Voice and Tobacco Cessation Resource Coordinator Eric Evans. Evans is pleased to be a part of the coalition and looks forward to the challenging work ahead of him, "Lake County's VOICE chapter goals are the same as those of the state's initiatives, 'youth empowerment and education' with a focus on the manipulative tactics used by the tobacco industry to target teens."

To enhance the Lake County initiative, VOICE participated in training sessions and summits in Indianapolis increasing their knowledge on the history of the tobacco industry and other tobacco related topics. The lessons were translated into powerful activities with messages to push their focus. Recently, VOICE Youth of Lake County wrote messages to the local newspaper editors to have their views published.

VOICE hosts an annual talent show, Apollo Night, which Evans feels will continue to have a great impact on youth throughout Lake County," I look forward to working with the Lake County VOICE group as they plan their next annual Apollo Night Talent Show. This event is used to draw youth from all over Lake County to become engaged in a smoke free environmental activity, "

VOICE Eric Evans Apollo Night

VOICE The Lake County Tobacco and Cessation Coalition welcomes its new Voice and Tobacco Cessation Resource Coordinator, Eric Evans. Evans is pleased to be a part of the coalition and looks forward to the challenging work ahead of him, "Lake County's VOICE chapter goals are the same as those of the state's initiatives, 'youth empowerment and education' with a focus on the manipulative tactics used by the tobacco industry to target teens."

VOICE hosts an annual talent show, Apollo Night, which Evans feels will have a great impact on youth throughout Lake County," I look forward to working with the Lake County VOICE group as they plan their next annual Apollo Night Talent Show. This event is used to draw youth from all over Lake County to become engaged in a smoke free environmental activity, "

The Magic of Hypnosis for those who want to Kick the Habit!

Hocus Pocus! Abracadabra! Alakazam! Presto-Chango! Shazam! Sim Sala Bim! The only way that these magical words can help any one to quit smoking is if they spend all of their time trying to say them.

For anyone who is serious about breaking the tobacco habit critical measures are needed. While laser treatment, the nicotine patch and gum have proven to help some it is the premise of Tim Shurr, Director of Hypnosis Center in Indiana, that more is needed, "(Nicotine) Gum and patches are fine for any one who only wants to address the physical addiction of nicotine but a patch and gum do nothing for the emotional habit and that is where the battle is won or lost."

Shurr (pronounced Sure) is also the owner of the Shurr Success Hypnosis Center in Merrillville and has been successfully helping individuals to break habits of nicotine and food addictions for 12 years.

Shurr is one of the 40 certified practitioners in the state of Indiana. The only premiere personal and success company in this area, hypnotism is the main tool that Shurr uses to help to transform the lives of thousands seeking what many deem as their last chance. Shurr states that he hears continual testimonies from former smokers (once they've used his method) that after trying all other approaches, hypnotism is the one they should have tried first because it really works.

Shurr states that with Shurr Success Hypnosis he has had a success rate of 80% of those he treats, "I've had clients in their 50's who have smoked 3 to 4 packs a day to give up smoking." Shurr's number one testimony is his father who he helped over 19 years ago.

According to Shurr, using tobacco products does cause physical addiction but he states that it is the emotional conditions of addiction such as stress, fear, lack of confidence that create the emotional cravings that brings a smoker back to square one.

Some smokers will tell you that they need to do something or have something in there mouth and that pulls them back to smoking. Or some state that if they are nervous they need to have something to do; while others pace they smoke. Then there are those who stop but are afraid that they will gain weight so again they find themselves at the end of yet another cigarette. And Shurr is sure he can help.

Shurr is anti-tobacco and a huge supporter of the Lake Country Tobacco Prevention Cessation Coalition (LCTPC) he wants to do all that he can to help everyone who wants to quit to achieve their goal. "We provide our program to individuals as well as companies. A company can have an employee incentive program that covers their hypnosis program." Shurr believes companies should provide employees the assistance that they need to quit smoking and he is willing to help by giving breaks to companies that do.

Shurr Success Hypnosis is affordable and offers a free consultation. You can call for an appointment at (219) 756-7645.

"Play it Safe" Program (Railcats)

Hoping to foster tobacco prevention and cessation, the Railcats Baseball organization has launched "Play It Safe," a program funded by Indiana Tobacco Prevention Cessation (ITPC) with Merrillville-based Geminus Corporation as lead. to lay bare the negative effects of tobacco use. During the baseball season, Geminus displays anti-tobacco smoking information at five of the Railcats' home games at the US Steel Yard, which is located , 500 East 5^th Avenue in Gary.

As a facilitator for this program, the Baseball franchise wants to do its part in spreading a health-conscious message to children and adults, informing them that tobacco smoking is not safe and is not cool.

"You can't gauge by numbers how many people did, or will, stop smoking, as a result of our [Play It Safe] campaign. But just exposing thousands of people to the literature and the message is bound to help," says Roger Wexelberg, the Railcats' General Manager.

"Play It Safe" events will continue at the US Steel Yard for the balance of the 2006 Season.

From Sheriff Dominguez's Office

Spreading the Word Against Tobacco Use in 2006

Sheriff Dominguez

In its ongoing fight to curb tobacco smoking among youths, the Lake County Sheriff's Department has committed itself to joining hands with other law enforcement agencies and further increasing its visibility at community-based anti-smoking programs. A recipient of an LCTPC grant, the Department has played a role in the following events:

On May 4, 2006: The Lake County Sheriff's Department mans a booth at the Lake Ridge School District’s first annual health fair, and reaches approximately 800 students.

On May 10, 2006: The Department takes its anti-tobacco message to the Special Olympics at West Side High School in Gary.

June 10, 2006: The Department partners with Indiana University Northwest for the University’s Bicycle Rodeo, to promote bicycle safety and tobacco prevention and cessation.

And the Sheriff's Department joins with other law enforcement agencies to penalize vendors selling tobacco products to youths in Lake County, by issuing compliance checks to all offending vendors.

For more information on the Lake County Sheriff's anti-tobacco campaign, contact Patti Van Til at (219) 755-3255

Project Faith (Moving in the Spirit Ministries Church)

Armed with an LCTPC grant, a church in Lake County is on a mission to teach children and adults alike about the dangers of smoking cigarettes. Moving in the Spirit Ministries Church, which is located at 4031 West 11^th Avenue in Gary, is using a variety of programs, including "Project Faith," to warn all it can reach that smoking is unhealthy.

"With Project Faith and other activities, our goal is to take care of the total man, not just the spiritual aspect, but the body, as well," says Walter Collins, a pastor at the church with a long connection to its anti-tobacco education programs. "We know tobacco is deadly, and we want to do our part to give youth and families an alternative."

Moving in the Spirit Ministries is known as a "Head Church" in the Franciscan tradition, and has been tasked with providing tobacco prevention and cessation training to roughly twenty churches across the state of Indiana. And in addition to Project Faith, the Gary-based church educates young people about the pitfalls of smoking through a boxing ministry, a drumline program, and Operation MOVE, an after-school program geared toward 10-14 year olds.

Upcoming events: The drumline program will participate in the Gary Community Schools’ Back-to-School Parade on September 16, 2006.

Key Staff: Bernice Collins-Gill, senior pastor

Walter Collins, pastor

Clark Road Genesis Family Center
The mission the message: Don't Smoke!

Rev. Pharis Evans and the Gary Clark Road Missionary Baptist Church takes it's commitment to the community seriously. It is their determination to impact the families through the Clark Road Genesis Family Center organization. The church's mission is to enrich, educate, and motivate.

The program provides computer training, after school programs, tutoring, day camp and health care prevention programs such as, 'Not One More Child', 'No More Smoke', and 'Get Real About Tobacco (G.R.A.T.)'.

Sandra Cotton, Executive Director states, "Our programs are in 3 schools, Locke and Nobel Elementary schools in Gary and Calumet High School in unincorporated Calumet Township."

The results and success of the program are assessed through pre-testing and then post-testing.

Cotton states, "We stress the hazards of smoking as well as the dangers of secondhand smoke and smokeless tobacco. Our message? They should never start smoking. Smoking is the 'gateway' to other drugs." It is the hope of the organization to expand their programs into other schools.

For more information about Clark Road Genesis Family Center, contact Sandra Cotton, Director, 219-944-8110.

Dr. Oranu Ibekie
The Doctor who makes House "Job Calls"

Trying to "break the smoking habit" can be a full-time job for many individuals. With that thought in mind the Lake County Tobacco Prevention and Cessation (LCTPC) is offering help to those in the workplace who want to quit smoking.

For this purpose LCTPC's lead agency Geminus has enlisted the help of Dr. Oranu Ibekie, a physician in Northwest Indiana. Over the past several months Ibekie has conducted cessation sessions in other locations and in February began a series of cessation classes for the employees of the Department of Family and Children Services in Gary, Indiana.

As for working with LCTPC Ibekie stated, "I am very pleased to have been asked to work with such a motivated and committed organization."

In Ibekie's earlier cessation classes the individual participants were employees as well as students. According to the physician the statistics garnered from these earlier sessions show that among individuals who start the classes at least 20% of those actually complete and achieve success with the program.

COULD YOU USE EXTRA CASH
AND TIME TO SPEND IT?

For more information call about our cessation classes at: 219-757-1866.

Healthy East Chicago
Promoting Good Health

The Healthy East Chicago (HEC) is an agency that is partnered with East Chicago healthcare facility, St. Catherine Hospital.

One of the agencies nestled inside of this facility is the Promotores de Salud (Promoters of Health) organization which is funded by a grant through the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program.

Promotores de Salud created in 2002, is a group of 15 women, ages 23-63 working to educate the community on the dangers of second-hand smoke, as well as other health issues. The target areas of Promotores de Salud are East Chicago, Gary, Hammond, Lake Station and Whiting.

The group's latest undertaking are cessation classes entitled 'Make A Freshstart', which began on March 1. Cessation classes are offered 8:30 am until 9:30 am and 6:00 pm until 7:00 pm. Free of charge, they consist of 4 sessions, 2 per week. Sessions are offered in English and Spanish.

The group asks for support of local Mexican eateries, Lupita's and El Ranchero who provide a smoke-free environment.

For more information on cessation classes contact Lupe Gutierrez, 219-397-6863.