According to the state Department of Health, one in every five Lancaster  County residents dies from a tobacco-related illness. These include the top four causes of death in the county: heart disease, lung disease, stroke and cancer. Second-hand smoke is also associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, asthma and chronic respiratory infections in children.

As a founding member of the Tobacco-Free Coalition of Lancaster County, Lancaster General is dedicated to decreasing tobacco use and related illness and death. Together, members of the coalition serve in our schools, at the workplace and throughout local organizations, identifying needs and programs designed to make Lancaster a tobacco-free community. Since the inception of this coalition, the rate of tobacco use in adults in Lancaster has dropped from 23 to 18 percent.

Robin Harclerode knew he should quit smoking. As program chairperson for Radiography at Lancaster General College of Nursing & Health Sciences, he had seen what smoking can do to a person’s lungs and overall health. But as he pointed out, nicotine is extremely addictive.

Harclerode was one of 400 Lancaster General employees and their spouses who participated in the BreatheWell smoking cessation program in conjunction with LG’s transition to tobacco-free campuses.

Supportive programs, including discounts for nicotine replacement therapy and pharmacotherapy prescriptions, one-on-one counseling and smoking cessation classes, are offered for individuals who want to stop smoking. This year BreatheWell provided 1,022 counseling sessions for more than 400 LG employees and their spouses. Fifty-eight percent of the participants were still smoke free three months after their initial Breathewell session.

---

Back to Table of Contents