Canonsburg General Hospital Kicks Off "Women & Wellness" Series

Canonsburg General Hospital has established a centralized laboratory draw area at Waterdam Medical Associates, 157 Waterdam Road in McMurray. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Closed for lunch from noon to 12:30 p.m.)
“We are pleased to offer outreach laboratory services at a convenient location with expanded hours of operation,” explained Terri Alar, Director/Canonsburg General Hospital Laboratory, adding that no appointment is necessary.

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Masters of the Slopes Competition to Raise Funds for Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC

Event co- sponsor, Vector Security, sets goal to raise $100,000, attract 150 skiers

Vector Security, Inc., announced its inaugural Masters of the Slopes Competition to benefit Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. The event will be held at Seven Springs Mountain Resort on Saturday, February 28, 2009 and is designed to provide a fun-filled day of friendly competition for adults aged 35 and older while raising money for a great cause.
“Our goal is to raise $100,000 for Children’s Hospital’s new building fund from sponsorships and skiers,” said Michael Grady, executive vice president of Vector Security, Inc. “The event is the first of its kind in the region, and we hope to fill the slopes with skiers from Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and elsewhere who recognize Children’s Hospital as one of Pittsburgh’s most valuable assets.”
The event will include giant slalom competition for intermediate and advanced skiers, a buffet dinner reception, awards presentation and entertainment.
“We are very excited about this unique and fun competition that Vector Security has decided to sponsor,” said Roger A. Oxendale, Children’s Hospital CEO and president of the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation. “We encourage skiers and sponsors in the area to participate in this event to help support our patients and Children’s Hospital’s capital campaign.”
To register as a skier, sign up for sponsorship or for more information on Masters of the Slopes, visit www.mastersoftheslopes.com or contact Vector Security’s Marketing Department at (724) 779-8800.

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In Stitches: Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?

By Ron Cichowicz

Jeremiah Johnson I’m not.
I used to love that movie. But ever since the remnants of Hurricane Ike roared through the region, the film only mocks me. Once I thought that a viable alternative to the Rat Race would be to escape to the high country, with nothing but a rifle, a box of tinder, and a generous supply of Under Armor. If Jeremiah could survive the harsh elements, I was convinced that I could as well.
No longer. For I have been tested and found wanting. I have tasted misery and could not stand its sting on my tongue. And I have learned a tough lesson on just how relative suffering can be.
It was a Sunday evening. All weekend, I had watched news reports filled with stories and graphic shots of people in Texas who evacuated their homes and were now left stranded with no food, no electricity, and no idea when their homes would return to normal. “That’s really a shame,” I remember thinking, trying to muster as much empathy as possible. Then I turned my attention to the Steelers-Browns game to cheer the Black ‘n gold. Outside, the winds began to howl ominously …
Just as the fourth quarter of a tight game began, the lights in my house flickered and within seconds we were plunged into total darkness. I sat with my family in silence for a few minutes, trying to absorb what exactly had happened. It didn’t take long for us to realize the horrible truth: We had lost our electric power and we might not be able to watch the end of the game.
Oh, the humanity! Outside, we heard a handful of car engines start. Some of our more diehard neighbors decided to fire up their Diehard batteries and finish listening to the game by the lights of their dashboards. Our family simply decided to set the alarms on our cell phones and go to bed.
Morning arrived but electricity did not come with it. That meant no coffee, no quick breakfast courtesy of the microwave and, for me, no Monday morning shave. I would have to take my razor to the office, where I eventually arrived (more about that in a second), looking a bit like a Geico caveman. I eventually managed to get out of the house with matching socks and without accidentally kicking either of our two cats or our dog more than a half dozen times.
For most of year, my day starts with a side trip to drop off my son at his school before I jump back onto two highways that takes me to work. But on this particular Monday, my trip became like a game of Frogger, as I tried to negotiate a maze of side streets all in an effort to avoid gridlock caused by the sporadic malfunctions of traffic lights. Suffice to say, I did not win my game and arrived a good 45 minutes late.
But the office had electricity and its warm glow—which ironically included air conditioning—lulled me into a false sense of comfort. A late meeting caused me to return home after dark. All the streets on my path were well lighted. Until I arrived at my neighborhood.
“Now this just isn’t fair,” I thought, as if the fickle actions of Mother Nature were ever grounded in a sense of fairness. “How come people only two blocks away …” (People I now decided I hated) “ … have electricity and I don’t.”
The inside of my house glowed eerily from dozens of candles placed strategically throughout. “Aren’t you glad I go to all those candle parties?” my wife asked, trying to put a happy spin on the situation. But whatever upbeat tone she inspired dissipated quickly when she suggested I get right back in the car and find some bags of ice in a futile attempted to save the food in the refrigerator.
“And while you are out,” she said, “could you also pick up a pizza? I’d order in, but the driver will never see our house number. Oh, and could you get me a cup of coffee? I haven’t had one all day.”
My 14-year-old, already stir crazy, hopped in the car with me. “What are we going to do all night?” he asked, almost desperate. I saw this as a teachable moment. “Let me show you how we handled these situations in the past,” I said, as I pulled into a Rite Aid parking lot. Moments later I emerged from the store with a $10 battery-operated portable radio. He now would not go stir crazy.
I, meanwhile, decided to make the best of the situation by sitting in the dark and quiet of my back porch. My serenity lasted about 30 seconds before the loud, grating noise of a neighbor’s portable generator filled the night air.
Defeated, I went to bed, prepared to do battle in the morning with more stubble on my chin, a wrinkled shirt, and cold pizza for breakfast. But at exactly 3:03 a.m. my house was awash with lights and the sounds of televisions blaring from every room.
Our electricity had been restored.
I arrived at the office tired but well pressed and clean shaven. A female coworker, curlers in her hair, shared disgustedly that her power would likely not return for another two days.
“Ah, a couple more days—you can do it,” I said as I poured a fresh cup of coffee, returned to my well-lighted and air-conditioned office, and flicked on my computer. In just five short days, another Steelers’ game would be on. Life was good again.

Ron Cichowicz, vice president of corporate advancement for Gateway Rehabilitation Center, is a Pittsburgh-based author and lecturer and luncheon speaker. If your business or organization would like to invite Ron to present a program on the “Positive Benefits of Humor” or other topics, contact him at roncichowicz27@comcast.net, or call (412) 885-4543.

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Canonsburg General Hospital Awarded Fit Friendly Award From American Heart Association

Canonsburg General Hospital has been awarded a 2008 Fit Friendly Award from the American Heart Association.  This is the hospital’s second consecutive year to be named.
A Fit Friendly Award is given to companies that lead the development and implementation of innovative and effective programs to promote physical activity in the workplace.
Some of the employee wellness initiatives implemented at Canonsburg General Hospital include a monthly Get Fit! Day designed to encourage walking, healthy food choices available in the employee dining room and weight loss challenges.
“As a healthcare provider, it is extremely important that we promote fitness in the workplace,” explained Terry Wiltrout, vice-president of operations and facilitator of the hospital’s Fit-Friendly initiative.  “We are honored to once again be recognized for our efforts.”

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Debra Panucci, M.D. Opens Satellite Office At Canonsburg General Hospital’s Mutschler Orthopaedic Institute

Board-certified physiatrist, Debra Panucci, M.D., has opened a satellite office in the Mutschler Orthopaedic Institute at Canonsburg General Hospital. Dr. Panucci is accepting patient referrals for EMGs as well as consults for post-stroke care, neuromuscular disorders and other physical medicine and rehabilitation issues.
Appointments can be made by calling the Mutschler Orthopaedic Institute at 724-873-5955.

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Toolkit Helps to Create Safe and Healthy Schools Where All Children Succeed

A new toolkit to promote tobacco free schools was released today for school administrators, counselors, student assistance professionals and teachers. Pennsylvania’s 100% Tobacco Free Schools Toolkit helps student assistance programs and other school personnel in implementing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Guidelines for School Health Programs to Prevent Tobacco Use and Addiction.
“Every day in the United States, nearly 4,000 young people light up a cigarette for the very first time,” said Cindy Thomas, executive director of Tobacco Free Allegheny.
“We are all familiar with the physical diseases caused by tobacco use: cancer, cardiovascular disease and respiratory ailments. But recent research indicates that nicotine also has devastating effects on the developing brains of children and teenagers and can be linked to brain damage, alcohol and other drug abuse, and mental illness.
“The toolkit is our attempt to prevent and intervene in tobacco-related disorders among youth.”
The Tobacco Free Schools Toolkit is divided into seven sections that correspond with the seven recommendations in the CDC Guidelines: policy, awareness, curriculum, training, family involvement, cessation and evaluation. The content was developed for Tobacco Free Allegheny by Addiction Medicine Services of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside.
“Whether new to tobacco programming or an expert, this toolkit will save teachers, parents, physicians and others time and effort,” said Thomas. “It provides education, training and support to help talk to young people about tobacco use in a way that provides a consistent message from many points of view. Preventing youth initiation into tobacco and helping those who already smoke or che w to quit is critical.”
Tobacco Free Allegheny (TFA) administers and manages the comprehensive tobacco prevention and cessation program in Allegheny County. TFA works to change the community norms surrounding tobacco use to make it uncommon to see, use or be negatively impacted by tobacco or secondhand smoke.
For information on how to access Pennsylvania’s 100% Tobacco Free Schools Toolkit, please contact Cindy Thomas at (412) 322-8321. Funding for this project was provided by Tobacco Free Allegheny and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Edward G. Rendell, Governor. 

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Monongahela Valley Hospital Links with UPMC’s Stroke Telemedicine Program

Monongahela Valley Hospital (MVH) recently linked to UPMC’s Stroke Institute Telemedicine Program allowing more patients to be treated faster with advanced medicines while remaining at their community hospital.
When a stroke occurs, every second counts. With the linkage to UPMC’s Telemedicine technology, MVH’s Emergency Department’s Medical Staff can access UPMC’s Stroke Institute’s medical experts 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Stroke Telemedicine program uses videoconferencing technology allowing the neurologist at UPMC to speak directly with the patient, family, emergency physicians and nursing staff at MVH. The neurologist views vital information including imaging results and conducts a real-time patient assessment. The faster a patient receives appropriate treatment the greater the chance of full recovery.
UPMC is a certified stroke center and by utilizing its expertise in stroke care, the Telemedicine Program provides MVH staff clinical direction in the management and intervention of acute stroke patients and especially those receiving a treatment called Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA).
At MVH the Stroke Telemedicine Program works by obtaining the patient’s remote stroke assessment by utilizing a specialized cart that is brought into a patient’s room and connected near the foot of the bed. The patient is examined with assistance of the Emergency Department Medical Staff and patient/family history is obtained. Then, MVH’s Emergency Department physician and UPMC’s attending neurologist and stroke team discuss the treatment. The proposed treatment is discussed with the patient/family by the stroke team via the telemedicine system, an informed consent is obtained by the neurologist/stroke team, and the patient receives the appropriate treatment.
The patient remains at MVH in the Intensive Care or Coronary Care Unit each possessing the capability to conduct all required checks of stroke patients as well as the care for those patients receiving the tPA treatment.
MVH has been preparing for UPMC’s Stroke Telemedicine Program by utilizing the same medical terminology among all caregivers, at stroke task force meetings and cross-training of imaging technicians. In addition, in-service training and further education for physicians and nursing staff has been provided and area EMS provided are armed with information about the program and its benefits.
MVH’s Information Technology Department was instrumental in developing the necessary technology for the program running smoothly and efficiently. With the creation of an advanced telecommunication cart, information is transmitted to UPMC’s stroke team instantaneously and video conferencing allows for consults from all involved caregivers.

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New Appointments at St. Clair Hospital

St. Clair Hospital has appointed Tania Rands Lyon, Ph.D., as Director of Organizational Performance Improvement. Lyon was previously the Director of Strategic Planning for the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative’s (PHRI) Center for Perfecting Patient Care.sm Lyon has over 20 years of experience in strategic planning, teaching and community organizing, including roles at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Princeton University, the American School of Niamey in Niger, and Saratov State Technical University in Russia. She also has extensive experience with healthcare reform initiatives including serving as a member of Governor Edward G. Rendell’s Chronic Care Commission.
St. Clair Hospital is also pleased to announce the promotion of Andrea Kalina to the position of Vice President, Human Resources and Organizational Advancement. Kalina began her career at St. Clair Hospital in 1999 as Vice President of Human Resources. Prior to joining St. Clair Hospital, Kalina served as a Senior Human Resources manager at Mastech Systems Company in Oakdale, PA, and as the Manager of Support Services and Operations for US Airways, Inc.

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The Washington Hospital Receives American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Bronze Performance Achievement Award

The Washington Hospital has received the American Stroke Association’s Get With The GuidelinesSM–Stroke (GWTG–Stroke) Bronze Performance Achievement Award. The award recognizes The Washington Hospital’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.
To receive the GWTG–Stroke Bronze Performance Achievement Award, The Washington Hospital consistently followed the treatment guidelines in the GWTG–Stroke program for 90 days. These include aggressive use of medications like tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs, and smoking cessation. The 90-day evaluation period is the first in an ongoing self-evaluation by the hospital to continually reach the 85 percent compliance level needed to sustain this award.

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AGH Vascular Surgeons To Explore Use of First Implantable Device Designed to Treat High Blood Pressure

An innovative medical technology being explored by vascular surgeons at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) Gerald McGinnis Cardiovascular Institute may represent a groundbreaking new treatment for people with high blood pressure, or hypertension, whose condition is not effectively controlled by existing medications.
Called the Rheos® Hypertension (HT) System, the therapy is an implantable device that electrically stimulates the body’s natural blood pressure sensors. When these carotid baroreceptors are activated,
signals are sent through neural pathways to the brain and interpreted as a rise in blood pressure. The brain works to counteract this perceived rise in blood pressure by sending signals to other parts of the body
(heart, blood vessels and kidneys) to lower high blood pressure.
Developed by CVRx Inc., and currently being investigated in a pivotal, phase III clinical trial, the Rheos HT System has already received CE Mark approval in Europe.

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McKeesport Healthier Communities Partnership to Receive PA Department of Health Partnership Award

The Pennsylvania Department of Health recently awarded a 2008 SHIP Affiliated Partnership Award to McKeesport Healthier Communities Partnership (MHCP) for the development and implementation of the 2005-2008 logic model and sustainability work and funding plan with an electronic outcomes reporting database. MHCP was selected by the PA Bureau of Health Planning as the award recipient for the Southwest District.

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Local Hospital Recognized as a Stroke Rehabilitation Center of Excellence

HealthSouth Harmarville Rehabilitation Hospital is one of only 15 hospitals in HealthSouth’s nationwide network of more than 90 rehabilitation hospitals to be recognized as a Stroke Rehabilitation Center of Excellence.
The Stroke Rehabilitation Center of Excellence internal recognition program highlights the accomplishments of HealthSouth hospitals that have exceeded established benchmarks in clinical programming and patient outcomes for the treatment of stroke.

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Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC Receives Achievement Award

Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has been honored with an award for operational excellence by the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania (HAP). The honor recognizes the hospital’s Breast Cancer Diagnostic Process Improvement, a successful multidisciplinary effort to significantly reduce wait times between suspicious findings in screening or diagnostic mammography, biopsy and diagnosis.
Nationally, the average wait time between an abnormal screening result and follow-up diagnostic mammogram is 20 days. Likewise, the national average wait time for scheduling a biopsy procedure once diagnostic mammogram indicates it is necessary is 19 days. Magee has been able to dramatically shorten wait times between abnormal screening and diagnostic follow-up mammogram, and provide same-day biopsy scheduling in many cases after identification of a suspicious mass. This accomplishment is the result of diligent work by a task force made up of radiologists, surgeons, administrators, technologists, nursing staff and patients to reorganize and streamline hospital procedures.

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Monongahela Valley Hospital Receives Cal U’s Core Values Award

Lauded for symbolizing the highest standards of integrity, civility and responsibility, Monongahela Valley Hospital is the second recipient of California University of Pennsylvania’s Corporate Core Values Award.
Cal U President Dr. Angelo Armenti, Jr. presented the award to Louis J. Panza Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, in special ceremonies in the Booker Great Room of the university’s Michael & Julia Kara Alumni House.
Dr. Armenti said Monongahela Valley Hospital “certainly exceeds the criteria for selection” of the Corporate Core Values Award.” He said the hospital was being honored for its “exemplary conduct” in its business operations and for “maintaining the university’s adopted core values of integrity, civility and responsibility.”

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Family Hospice and Palliative Care
Reaching Out to Western Pennsylvanians

By Vanessa Orr

In the last year, Family Hospice and Palliative Care provided services to more than 3,000 patients and their families in 11 counties in western Pennsylvania. And while the use of hospice services continues to increase on a national level, there are still many people who are not aware of the benefits of hospice, and how it can provide a much-needed level of care to those dealing with a life-limiting illness.
“One of the goals of Family Hospice and Palliative Care is to provide more outreach to the people of western Pennsylvania,” explained President Rafael Sciullo. “This year we want to focus on education—for the community, for our employees and for health care professionals.”
Now in the midst of a three-year strategic planning process, Family Hospice and Palliative Care’s board and management team are working with consultants to determine what the best hospice practices are nationally, and how they can be assimilated here to meet the needs and demographics of western Pennsylvania patients. “We are finding that the individuals who are accessing hospice care are changing,” explained Sciullo. “In the 1990s, we treated a lot of patients with cancer; now we are seeing more end-stage cardiac patients and dementia patients.
“Hospice needs to focus on what the needs of these individuals are, which goes back to our roots as a community-based, independent, not-for-profit provider,” he added. “Hospice should never be about one program meeting everyone’s needs; we need to look at each individual, and build a program around that person.”
In 2007, Family Hospice and Palliative Care opened The Center for Compassionate Care in Mt. Lebanon in order to meet these needs, as well as to provide education to the community. The Center’s 12-bed inpatient unit, opened in November of last year, now gives hospice patients a short-term place to stay for pain and symptom management in addition to the Center’s eight-bed inpatient unit at Family Hospice Manor in Bellevue.
“The Center also gives us a place to house our education and research component,” added Sciullo. “Here, our Education Advisory Council, which is composed of leaders from organization such as the Allegheny County Medical Society, Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association and the Institute to Enhance Palliative Care, work to provide outreach to the community.”
Current projects include a film series, in which audiences will see current films that deal with aspects of the dying experience, which will be followed by a panel discussion. Seminars will be held in the fall for professional health care workers, and Family Hospice and Palliative Care’s patients’ caregivers will be able to attend training classes to help them deal with their role in the dying process.
“We are continuing to partner with the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute to Enhance Palliative Care to provide better care for hospice patients,” Sciullo added. “One of our current projects is studying pain management for patients in nursing facilities, and how we can best formulate policies and procedures that will ease the dying experience.”
Family Hospice and Palliative Care also plans to focus on reaching out to minorities this year, as national statistics show that minorities tend to use hospice less than other groups of people. “We believe that the public at large needs more education, and that we need to focus on what the specific needs of this group might be,” said Sciullo. “We want to determine what is missing in the health care continuum for them and what role we can play in providing it.”

For more information on Family Hospice and Palliative Care, call (412) 572-8800 or visit www.familyhospice.com.

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16-Slice CT Scanner
Perfect Fit For CGH's Needs
By Lois Thomson

You can hear the excitement in Marilyn Kovach's voice as she talks about Canonsburg General Hospital's latest equipment acquisition: "We'll be able to scan every area of the body, but more importantly, to scan it very quickly. With one breath hold, we can scan the entire abdomen. The patient is in and out very quickly. It's very comfortable, and the images are beautiful. This will cover all of Canonsburg Hospital's needs.”
Kovach, Director of Medical Imaging Services and Cardiology at CGH, was talking about the new 16-slice G.E. Brightspeed Elite CT scanner the hospital recently purchased. She said previously the hospital had a 4-slice scanner. (It's important to realize that a slice does not refer to an actual cut, but is a function of the scanner.) Kovach explained the difference in the upgrade:
"When we talk about slice – we slice through the body with radiation and collect data. Whether we're doing a millimeter slice or a centimeter slice, we collect the data in that slice. So the thinner the slice, the more detail you get. There are just so many benefits to this – we get faster scanning and reconstruction times, and outstanding image quality, along with the ability to do fluoroscopic imaging right in the CT scanner. Fluoro is a 'motion picture' of the body and is usually seen in a radiology room. Our new CT scanner has fluoroscopic capabilities so interventional procedures can be performed within the CT department." Kovach said that the images are transmitted to a monitor in the radiologist's office, where everything can be reviewed digitally and read by the radiologist.
She added that the new scanner enables the hospital to offer specialties it couldn't before. "Such as cardiac studies," she said. "We didn't do them before in the CT department, but we can do them now. For cardiac CT, we'll be able to do gated acquisitions of the heart, snapshots of the heart. For coronary artery calcifications, we'll be able to image retrospectively and perspectively.
"We can perform arterial runoffs, checking the arteries in the legs as we scan the entire length of the leg during the runoff. We hope to do many interventional procedures in CT with this new scanner."
Kovach reiterated that the 16-slice scanner is exactly what Canonsburg General Hospital needs. "The industry has CT scanners up to 128 slices, but that would be overkill because we don't do open-heart surgery here. You never over-buy (equipment) because you're wasting money that hospitals don't have. You always buy exactly what your needs require to provide the best possible care to our patients, and that’s what I did."
For more information, visit www.wpahs.org or call (724) 745-6100.

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The families and friends of Heath Ledger and Anna Nicole Smith share a common pain that unfortunately has become a frequent occurrence in this country: death of a loved one from a prescription drug overdose. The pain also hits closer to home as recent autopsy reports revealed that approximately 75 percent of the 252 drug related deaths in Allegheny County for 2006 involved use of a prescription drug. Sadly, this is just a small sampling of the thousands of lives that have been lost to prescription drugs over the years.
A national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), discovered that 4.7 million of Americans used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes. In March of 1999, Gateway Rehab saw its first patient addicted to the pain relieving narcotic, Oxycontin. As of 2008, Gateway has treated more than 2,000 people with Oxycontin addictions.
Prescription drug abuse often starts in the teenage years. One in five college students are taking painkillers and prescription drugs to get high while 15 percent of high school seniors have admitted to taking these drugs for non-medical purposes. According to a Partnership Attitude Tracking Study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, the number one reason teenagers abuse prescription drugs is because they are easy to get from their parents’ medicine cabinets. Other reasons range from the fact that they are available everywhere and easy to purchase over the internet, to “parents not caring as much if you get caught.”
Because prescription drugs can be obtained legally, there is a misconception that these drugs are “safer” and “less shameful” to use. Yet, people who abuse medications can become addicted just as easily as if they were taking street drugs – and the results can be just as deadly. It’s important we break down the lack of awareness, denial, and stigma that all play a role in people not getting the treatment they need.

Dr. Neil Capretto is Medical Director of Gateway Rehabilitation Center.
For more information, call Gateway Rehabilitation Center at (412) 766-8700 or (800) 472-1177 or visit the website www.gatewayrehab.org.

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Trying to Quit? We Can Help
By Cindy Thomas

If your new year’s resolution was to quit smoking and you are struggling, don’t despair. It can take as many as 5 to 7 quit attempts before you quit for good. This is because the nicotine in tobacco is highly addictive and your brain thinks that it needs it. The good news is, if you have quit before, even for one day, you can do it again and you can be successful.
Many smokers use cigarettes to help cope with stress in their day to day life. If you’re one of them, you’ll need to learn new ways to get through stressful times after you quit. Nicotine is actually a stimulant that causes your heart to beat faster and your blood pressure to go up, so smoking may actually make you feel more stressed. Craving nicotine causes stress, so when you smoke the craving stops and you feel more relaxed. Identifying the ways smoking helped you cope with stress can let you replace smoking with other healthier ways of coping.
If you use smoking as a way of taking a work break – go for a walk instead. If smoking made you feel calmer - try some deep breathing or other relaxation techniques, in the evening take a long, hot bath. Spend time each day with activities you enjoy, maybe start a new hobby. Eat well and get plenty of rest, you’ll be better able to handle the stress.
Cindy Thomas is the Executive Director of Tobacco Free Allegheny.

For many people, joining a class or getting phone counseling, along with NRT or other medicines is the most effective way to quit. For information about free quit smoking classes contact Tobacco Free Allegheny at 412-322-8321, visit www.tobaccofreeallegheny.org, or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)

For more articles, download the Fall '08 issue (PDF)