American Legacy Foundation Addresses Tobacco-Related Health Issues

PR Newswire

More than 100 influential women, including several Members of Congress, came together today for a Circle of Friends: Uniting to be Smoke-Free® women’s luncheon on Capitol Hill. The luncheon, sponsored by the American Legacy Foundation, along with Women’s Policy, Inc. and the National Journal, was held in honor of National Women’s Health Week.

The event included a panel discussion featuring Circle of Friends spokeswoman, Diane Neal, from NBC’s Law & Order: SVU; Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Elizabeth Pika, legislative assistant for Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI); and Barbara Hamlett, from Rep. Diane Watson’s (D-Calif.) office. The program was designed to share information about smoking’s impact on women and how women can form “circles” of support to help one another quit smoking.

“Our Circle of Friends program aims to raise awareness of the toll tobacco-related disease takes on women, their families and communities in the US,” said the foundation’s President and CEO Cheryl Healton, Dr. PH. “Through Circle of Friends, we also hope to reinforce the importance of support in helping smokers quit. We are hopeful that women who smoke, including those on Capitol Hill, will support one another in their quit efforts. Research has shown that when friends and family are there to offer support, smokers are 50 percent more likely to quit successfully.”

Each year, over 178,000 women in the United States die from tobacco- related diseases like cancers, heart disease, emphysema and stroke. In addition, research shows that although 70 percent of smokers want to quit, each year, less than 5% are able to quit for 3 months or longer.

In addition to educating women about the importance of quitting smoking and raising awareness about the impact of tobacco related disease among women, Circle of Friends also provides opportunities for women to participate in a healthier lifestyle. On June 10, the American Legacy Foundation will hold the Circle of Friends Miki 10K road race in New York City. Women in the New York area have been training for the race as part of their program to quit smoking.

Diane Neal, who portrays Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak on NBC’s Law and Order: SVU, quit smoking two years ago after smoking two packs a day for eight years. “I understand the struggle women face when trying to quit smoking. Quitting smoking is my greatest personal accomplishment. It would be great if we could make it everyone else’s biggest accomplishment,” said Neal. “That’s why I’ve joined with the Circle of Friends program and am helping them with this critical campaign.”

Rep. Louise Slaughter, Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee, said “As someone who smoked for twenty years, I know that quitting can be one of the greatest challenges a woman faces in her lifetime. But it is also one of the most important to overcome. Circle of Friends provides a much needed support system for women who are ready to save their own lives. It provides women with hope and strength. This is a program we can all get behind.”

“Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in America—claiming the lives of more than 400,000 Americans every year. Anyone who has smoked knows how hard it is to quit. On average former smokers made 8 to 11 attempts before quitting long-term,” said Congresswoman Solis, who also attended the luncheon. “On behalf of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, I know that women are often the catalysts within their homes and offices to help others lose weight, get fit and quit smoking. We have to arm women with the information they need to lead healthier lives and the American Legacy Foundation’s Circle of Friends campaign can help.”

Congresswoman Ginny Brown Waite added, “As we observe National Women’s Health Week, I hope that we will rededicate ourselves to improving the health of women nationwide. More than 20 million women smoke in the U.S. today—and over 178,000 of them will lose their lives to tobacco-related disease as a result this year alone. As policy makers, we must do all we can to help these women be successful in quitting. I applaud the American Legacy Foundation’s Circle of Friends campaign for working to provide social support to women in their efforts to make healthier lifestyle choices, and I encourage smokers who want to quit to seek their help so they can lead healthier, smoke-free lives.”