Seneca sponsors community health forum

June 19, 2018June 21, 2018 Gregg Scott, Staff Writer

This symbol says it all when it comes to the focus of the Healthcare Town Hall taking place Tuesday, July 10, in the Almanor Recreation Building on Meadowbrook Loop. Hosted by the Seneca Physicians Collaborative, Plumas County and Seneca Healthcare District, the evening will offer education and solutions to help people who want to stop smoking. Photo submitted

The Seneca Physicians Collaborative in cooperation with Plumas County and Seneca Healthcare District is hosting the second Lake Almanor Community Healthcare Information Town Hall at the Almanor Recreation Building at 101 Meadowbrook Loop on Tuesday, July 10, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Guest speakers will include James Wilson, Plumas County Health Education coordinator; Linda Wagner, CEO of Seneca Hospital; Seneca Healthcare physicians and a special presentation by some Chester youth.

There will also be information booths and informational handouts.

The focus of this town hall is to educate the Lake Almanor community about the dangers of, and possible solutions to, smoking.

On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.

Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the U.S., including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure.

This accounts for about one in five deaths annually or 1,300 deaths every day.

A recent study of more than 200,000 people, published in BioMed Central Medical Journal found that about 67 percent of smokers perished from smoking-related illnesses including lung and other cancers, emphysema, heart disease, stroke and other related diseases.

The fact that smoking is a preventable condition and annually kills more people than alcohol, motor vehicles, drugs, suicide, homicide and AIDS combined puts it high on the priority list for healthcare professionals to address.

Attendees will learn about alternative to stop smoking, how to limit the damage of second hand smoke and can ask questions about solutions from physicians.

The Seneca Healthcare flyer says it very clearly, “Together We Can Stop Smoking.”