New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg joined the staff of the Palisades Medical Center last week to support the hospital’s new state of the art “I Quit Smoking Program,” which provides support and scientific methods for smokers in their battle to quit.
Due to changes in Medicare law, patients on Medicare and Medicaid will be able to take part just like privately insured patients.
Palisades Medical’s “I Quit Smoking Program,” which is the same method used by the New York City Fire Department Tobacco Cessation Program, is one of several in the country using aggressive multi-phase programs to treat tobacco addiction.
The new campaign was officially launched on Friday, April 22, at a press conference held at the Medical Center, 7600 River Road, North Bergen.
Lautenberg was present because he was responsible for the first smoking restrictions placed on commercial flights.
“Today we are excited to provide people with an opportunity to quit smoking for themselves and for those who love them,” said Bruce Markowitz, president and CEO of Palisades.
The new program, which is led by Dr. Matthew P. Bars and Dr. Victor Marchione, begins with an in-depth personal assessment of a smoker’s tobacco addiction, and from there work through a series of result-oriented treatments.
“Some patients don’t realize the extent of their addiction,” said Victor Marchione, a lung specialist and medical director of the hospital’s “I Quit Smoking Program.” “It’s all one to one with the intent to bring them to a smoke-free existence.”
Depending on severity and other particulars, patients undergo nicotine replacement therapies, which may include medication, intensive patient support, and medical diagnostic testing.
The crusade against tobacco
Smoking tobacco, which continues at a rate of epidemic consumption, has been said to affect every cell, organ and organ system in the human body.
In 1993, approximately $50 billion was spent in the U.S. on medical care for patients who had tobacco-related illnesses.
A strong supporter of the anti-tobacco movement for the past 19 years has been Lautenberg, who spearheaded legislation against smoking on airlines.
“It was a tough fight; the airlines didn’t want it, and some senators fought hard to keep the program from becoming law,” said Lautenberg, who first negotiated the terms of the restriction. However, after a couple of months of successful implementation, the program did eventually become law and smoking was banned from commercial flights.
“I think that law began to change the smoking culture around the world,” said Lautenberg.
Since those first restrictions that have been put into practice, certain states have banned smoking in public and federal buildings; schools and restaurants, except for designated areas; and even elevators.
New York also passed a law completely banning smoking in all bars and nightclubs.
Lautenberg, a former smoker himself, received much criticism early on for his opposition, but always recalled a specific moment with his youngest daughter which finally made him quit.
One day as he was having a cigarette, his daughter, who was in first grade, asked him why he smoked, because in school they had learned that people who smoke would have to get a black box in their throat. Lautenberg remembers his daughter saying that she didn’t want that to happen to him because she loved him.
“I owed her the opportunity to be around as her father for as long as I could,” said Lautenberg. “It’s silly to start smoking if you can avoid it.”
Smokers on average can spend from $1,000 to $3,000 a year on their habit, and in the United States, tobacco-related illnesses ranging from carcinoma to pulmonary and cardiovascular disease kill about 340,000 people a year prematurely.
Smoking cessation programs like the newly launched campaign at Palisades Medical aid in providing solutions to kick the habit for life.
Tools to fight the industry
According to statistics released by Palisades Medical, less than three percent of smokers attempting to quit on their own are successful. However, recent reports have shown that through some of the new aggressive medical therapies, success rates have climbed over 50 percent.
“The good news is we’re winning the tobacco wars, one smoker at a time,” said Marchione. “I believe our treatment will become the standard of care because what we are doing works.”
“We use medical tests to show the smoker how smoking has affected their health and as an early warning system to diagnose disease at an earlier, curable stage,” said Marchione. “This includes cardiology, pulmonology, and radiology just to name a few.”
The program has about a 50 percent success rate, and others who require more time or extra support can continue to find that within the program.
“There are no failures, and we give [patients] the tools they can use over and over again to keep smoke free,” said Marchione.
Medicare and Medicaid
The launch of the program will also work in partnership with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), who as of March, are providing new coverage for certain Medicare beneficiaries that have illnesses caused by or complicated by smoking to help them quit. The new coverage plan for these types of programs comes in response to a petition by the Partnership for Prevention, a statewide coalition that includes consumer groups, state and local health departments, drug companies and insurers.
Dr. Mark B. McClellan, administrator of the CMS, stated, “Millions of our beneficiaries have smoked for many years and are now experiencing heart problems, lung problems and other diseases that smoking can cause. Just about all of them will be eligible for new coverage. You’re never too old to quit smoking.”
“We are pleased and proud of our new efforts to offer this new service at Palisades Medical Center,” said Markowitz. “The new smoking cessation program provides the best medical therapies and patient support we have to offer.”
Palisades Medical Center is sponsored by New York Presbyterian Healthcare Systems, and provides healthcare resources to the areas of Hudson and southern Bergen counties.
“I want people to stop smoking, and I congratulate you for the work you will be doing here,” said Lautenberg. For more information on the “I Quit Smoking Program” at Palisades Medical Center, or for similar programs around the country, call (800) 45-SMOKE or visit www.stopsmokingdoctors.com.