To the editor:
My name is Dr. Marie-Caroline Piche. I am a family practice physician working at Alice Hyde Medical Center since 2005. My field of interest is palliative care, a special kind of care that involves patients with serious illnesses and their families. I am writing today about the importance of tobacco use prevention and how the North Country Tobacco Cessation Center is helping to achieve that.
Every day I see the adverse effects tobacco has on people, developing lung and heart conditions that are life-threatening, and most of the time ending up in severe disabilities and eventually death. This has very difficult impact, not only on the patients but their families. I know how busy we are as health care professionals and how important prevention is in this area; North Country Tobacco Cessation Center helps us with tools to achieve this goal and take good care of our community.
Also, I am the mother of three young children. Last year, my oldest child, who was in second grade at the time, had to do a poster on healthy habits for his school Health Fair; he chose the theme, "Be Healthy: Don't Smoke." I was very proud of him and also confident that every effort we put into prevention will be beneficial for our kids.
By preaching by example, whether we are in a doctor's office or a school setting, I believe we can have a positive impact on tobacco use prevention, which is, believe it or not, the leading cause of preventable chronic disease and premature death in the United States
Marie-Caroline Piche, MD
Malone