Helping Services for Northeast Iowa News

The Allamakee County Tobacco-Free Coalition has made great strides in helping to support a safe and healthy community over the past year. The coalition has sponsored a “Tobacco Pick-Up Day”, implemented a community survey to discover your opinions on tobacco and submitted several press releases that range from upcoming coalition meetings to the Smokefree Air Act . . . → Read More: Local Coalition Plans for a Busy Summer

Free counseling services will continue

As of June 30, Iowa’s helpline for quitting tobacco use will no longer offer callers free nicotine patches and gum. Faced with budget cuts, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has decided to focus on maintaining Quitline Iowa’s free counseling services.

When Iowans call the Quitline, counselors help them understand the underlying . . . → Read More: Quitline Iowa to Discontinue Free Patches, Gum

Spring has sprung. Have you started your garden, planned a weekend camping trip with the family, prepared the lawn mower for its first run, and successfully quit smoking? Don’t make smoking the last priority on your list.  There are resources out there to help you succeed!

 A simple call to Quitline Iowa at 1-800-QUIT-NOW will get you . . . → Read More: Use Available Resource to Help You Quit Smoking

Did you know each day about 3,500 kids under the age of 18 try smoking for the first time and another 1,000 kids become new regular daily smokers?

Did you know an adult male smoker loses an average of 13 years of his life; while an adult female smoker loses 14 years of her life?

Did you know . . . → Read More: Annual Kick Butts Day March 24, 2010

Hasn’t it been wonderful to go out with family and friends and not worry about cigarette smoke or coming home and smelling like a cigarette? 

Since the start of the Smokefree Air Act in July 2008, business owners and managers have been required to be smoke free. The only indoor public place a person is allowed to . . . → Read More: Hasn’t it been wonderful?

Expansion to help Winneshiek County residents affected by economy

Smokers in Winneshiek County affected by the economic downturn now have a valuable tool for quitting.  With the typical pack-a-day Iowa smoker now spending nearly $1,900 per year on cigarettes, Quitline Iowa (1-800-QUIT-NOW) is doubling the amount of nicotine patches and gum available to callers during the . . . → Read More: Quitline Doubles Free Nicotine Patches, Gum

This time of year we anxiously anticipate the joys of snow, outdoor activities and family celebrations. We also prepare ourselves for the cold and flu season. Why not give yourself and children a jumpstart by choosing not to smoke around family and friends.

In November, members of the Allamakee County Tobacco-Free Coalition distributed bookmarks to libraries, daycares . . . → Read More: Tobacco-Free Coalition Educates the Public on the Dangers of Secondhand Smoke

Do you find yourself standing outside alone in the winter weather just to have a cigarette?

December is the time of year where family and friends gather to celebrate the holidays and the importance of togetherness. For some, togetherness may be interrupted with frequent cigarette breaks in the cold weather. Why not make this year special for . . . → Read More: Call QUITLINE Iowa at 1-800- QUIT-NOW

What’s an e-cigarette? 

An electronic cigarette runs on batteries, a person inhales an e-cigarette as he/she would a typical cigarette.  When inhaled, the battery warms liquid nicotine stored in a plastic filter.  The combination of heat and liquid creates the vapor or “smoke” puff when exhaled.  

Are they safer then a cigarette?

Dr. Jonathan Samet, director of the Institute . . . → Read More: Are E-cigarettes the Newest Cigarette Trend?

The Smokefree Air Act was passed in 2008 to protect the health of employees and the overall health of Iowans from secondhand smoke. Even though we have successfully completed the first year of the Smokefree Air Act, we still may be left with a few unanswered questions. One question that may arise is, “Where does the . . . → Read More: Where Does the Smokefree Air Act Apply?