Myrtue Medical News Release

Freedom from Tobacco

June 8, 2006

July 4th, 2006 is the date Myrtue Medical Center has targeted to become tobacco free. MMC continues to move across their time-line for this project. We are currently educating staff about the long-term effects of tobacco use, and how to deal with those around you who continue to smoke.

Currently the Medical Center has at least eight staff members who are on the road to quitting and eleven more have been tobacco free for several years.

Jim Birch started smoking when he was a freshman in high school. He smoked for 40 years. On the advice of his doctor, he tried to quit smoking several times, but was not successful. Both of Jim's parent died of smoking-related illnesses. He knew he needed to quit. He was even told by his physician that he had early signs of emphysema. The last straw for Jim was the two nights in a row that he coughed for 5 hours! He said he could picture himself carrying around an oxygen tank everywhere he went, and he did not want that to happen. That motivating factor gave Jim the incentive to quit smoking. He used the nicotine patches in the step-down formula. Jim has been tobacco free for three years. We congratulate Jim on his determination to quit his tobacco habit!

If you would like assistance in quitting, or would like more information, please call Dianne Book or Julie Schmitz at 712-755-4292.