November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Santa Rosa County Tobacco-Free Coalition Holds Meeting
The Santa Rosa County Tobacco-Free Coalition will hold its next meeting on Thursday, December 6, at 4:00 p.m. at the Santa Rosa County Health Department, 5527 Stewart Street in Milton. This meeting will focus on the progress of the Tobacco Free Multi Unit Dwelling policy, update on the businesses offering cessation services, and SWAT updates.
The Santa Rosa County Tobacco-Free Coalition began in September 2008 as a partnership of community members and agencies working together with a mission to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use and provide education on the dangers of tobacco abuse among children and adults in the county. Members include: Santa Rosa County Health Department; Healthy Start of Santa Rosa County; Women, Infant and Children Program (WIC); Center for Total Women’s Health; Community Drug and Alcohol Council; West Florida Area Health Education Center; Covenant Hospice; Safe Haven; Santa Rosa County School District; Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office; Santa Rosa County School Health Program; Santa Rosa Pediatrics; University of West Florida; Students Working against Tobacco (SWAT) and AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Any interested citizens or community groups are encouraged to attend the meeting and join the coalition.
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the most preventable form of cancer death in our society. Tobacco use accounts for at least 30% of all cancer deaths and 80% of lung cancer deaths.
In September 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) released “State Specific Trends in Lung Cancer Incidence and Smoking—United States, 1999-2008”, in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, showing a decline in lung cancer rates nationwide, linked closely with smoking patterns. Florida was one of only six states with lung cancer declines among both men and women.
- Florida was one of the 35 states (out of 44 analyzed) where lung cancer
incidence among men decreased.
- Florida was also one of only six states where lung cancer incidence
among women decreased.
For more information on the Santa Rosa County Tobacco Free Coalition, please contact Robbie Leggett at (850) 983-5200 ext. 310. To learn more about lung cancer, visit www.cancer.org. To read the complete CDC report, visit www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung .
