Queens Hospital Center (QHC), the New York city Department of Health (DOH) and other healthcare affiliates launched a $1.2 million anti-smoking campaign aimed at encouraging primary healthcare providers to increase their efforts to get patients to quit smoking.
The ad campaign, entitled “Your Patients Are Listening,” seeks to motivate physicians to speak to their patients about smoking, reasons to quit, and the resources available to them, said Lisa Marini, associate director of the smoking cessation program at QHC.
The campaign began last month, March 1, and will run until June. The ads will be featured in medical journals, web sites, newspapers and billboards throughout New York State.
The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) reports that smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in New York and the United States. Last year, tobacco use led to the death of more than 25,000 New Yorkers and 430,000 Americans.
“It’s a huge problem,” said Dr. Margaret Kemeny, director of the cancer center at QHC. “We can’t be silent. It is our duty [as doctors] to get our patients to stop smoking.”
Kemeny said that smoking related deaths kill more people than any other cancer because screenings for lung cancer are not as routine as other cancer screenings.
Lung cancer poses a greater danger than other cancers because by the time patients become aware of a problem, it is too late for treatment. Yet, it does not receive as much attention.
“Lung cancer tends not to get diagnosed until it’s too late,” said Kemeny. “Eighty percent of the cases we are presented with are incurable.”
The campaign’s primary goal is to improve health and prevent disease, but it will also serve as a way to address state budgetary concerns.
“This is the most cost effective thing our healthcare system can deliver,” said Kemeny.
According to the DOH, treating smoking related diseases costs New York taxpayers roughly $8.2 billion annually and the nation over $100 billion annually.
Marini said the first campaign was successful. About 80 percent of doctors who saw the advertisement said it grabbed their attention and 65 percent said it made them think about doing more to help their patients stop smoking.
Dr. Ann Sullivan, senior vice president of the Queens Health Network, was supportive of the new campaign being directed toward physicians. “As a psychologist, I am aware of how influential that doctor-patient relationship is.”
The launch was hosted by Queens Hospital Center, North Shore-LIJ Health System and the New York Department of Health (DOH). The event featured two former smokers who shared their thoughts in their addiction.
James McKeever, 41, is a lieutenant in the New York City Police Department and a volunteer firefighter. He was a first responder for 9/11 and worked at Ground Zero for two months.
Lt. McKeever smoked two packs of cigarettes a day for 20 years. When his daughter was diagnosed with asthma, he sought out resources available to him through the NYPD. He was referred to a free smoking cessation program at North Shore-LIJ’s Center for Tobacco Control.
“It was the most impactful thing in my life,” he said.
Another former smoker, Dena Roberts, 40, smoked over a pack a day for nearly 20 years. She was encouraged to quit by her physician during a visit to address chest pains and respiratory problems.
Roberts hopes the campaign encourages doctors to discuss the matter with their patients.
“Don’t give up on your patients. We may be stubborn, but it can really make a difference.”
