PA StateHealth officials encourage smokers to quit on ‘World No Tobacco Day’

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Pennsylvania Department of Health today urged smokers to quit as part of the May 31 observance of “World No Tobacco Day,” which is designed to raise awareness of the dangers of secondhand smoke.
“Exposure to secondhand smoke causes disease and premature death in non-smoking children and adults,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Calvin B. Johnson. “I encourage all Pennsylvania smokers to set a quit date for ‘World No Tobacco Day’ and use the state’s resources for help in becoming smoke-free — for their own health, and for the health of those around them.”
In Pennsylvania, an estimated 3,000 non-smoking children and adults die annually from exposure to secondhand smoke. Due to this and other scientific research that shows there is no risk-free level of exposure, a bill is currently moving through the General Assembly that would ban indoor smoking in workplaces, bars and restaurants.
The department has also released a broadcast public service announcement featuring Secretary Johnson explaining the negative health effects of secondhand smoke and encouraging Pennsylvanians to use the state’s resources to quit smoking.
These initiatives are part of the department’s ongoing campaign to help Pennsylvanians quit using tobacco products, prevent those who don’t smoke from starting, and curb the retail sale of tobacco to minors.
Research shows that individuals who receive support in their quit attempt are twice as likely to succeed. For more information about quitting tobacco, call Pennsylvania’s Free Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or visit www.determinedtoquit.com.

Copyright Associated Press 2008

Brownsville hospital opens doors

Brownsville Tri-County Hospital opened its doors to patients this morning, the first time the Redstone Township facility has been open since January 2006.
The emergency room is now open 24 hours a day. The hospital is also offering a 21-bed inpatient unit with six telemetry monitored beds, a full-service laboratory, respiratory therapy, a radiology department and on-site pharmacy, as well as other services.
Local ambulances services are praising the reopening of the medical facility, saying it will improve health care in the region and allow them to reduce the time they are out of service between calls.

See the full story by Christine Haines in Friday’s Herald-Standard.

PSU football stars to honor Paterno

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., April 28 /PRNewswire/ — On June 11, 2008, a galaxy of Penn State University football stars will gather at the Nittany Lion Inn in State College, PA to honor the illustrious career of legendary head football coach Joe Paterno. The event will include stars from the field of medicine and science who are working together to find a cure for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder.
Hosted by The Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA), the First Annual CMTA STAR Dinner is looking for other “stars” to honor Coach Paterno, while helping raise money for critical research in finding a treatment and cure for CMT, a little known, but the most commonly inherited neuropathy. Coach Paterno has lent his “star power” to the CMTA’s efforts over the past several years.
Proceeds from the event benefit the CMTA’s Strategy to Accelerate Research (STAR(TM)), an unprecedented collaboration of top researchers from around the world that has been created to develop new treatments for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder (CMT), and a cure within ten years.
CMT is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy estimated to affect one in every 2,500 people — approximately 2.6 million people worldwide. CMT is a progressive disorder that causes the nerve cells leading to the body’s extremities to slowly degenerate resulting in the loss of normal use of the feet/legs and hands/arms.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. with a VIP reception during which “Table Captains” and a guest have the opportunity to meet Coach Paterno. The contribution for Table Captain is $10,000, which includes 10 tickets to the dinner, 2 tickets to the VIP reception and a full page ad in the program.
Individual tickets to the STAR Dinner are $1,000, and contributions are tax deductible. The CMTA is also seeking people interested in donating sports memorabilia and other gifts for the auction.
For information on purchasing tickets or donating to the Silent Auction, call Robin Mitchell at 814-241-4560 or email CMTASTAR

live.com.
“We are close to making scientific breakthroughs that will impact millions of people across the country,” said Charles F. Hagins, Executive Director of the CMTA. “The CMTA STAR initiative is going to make that a reality.”

Copyright Associated Press 2008