Chairman Wolfe Proclaims May 12th-18th, 2014 Women’s Lung Health Week in Rockland County

PRESS RELEASE

The Chairman of the Rockland County Legislature Alden H. Wolfe presented a proclamation to representatives of Pow’r Against Tobacco and the American Lung Association on Tuesday evening to recognize the week of May 12, 2014 as “Women’s Lung Health Week” in Rockland County.

A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that there has been a decline in incidents of lung cancer, the nation’s leading cancer killer, that is directly attributable to increased tobacco prevention and control measures. However, the report indicated that lung cancer among women declined at a much slower rate than men and the number of deaths among women suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has increased four-fold over the past three decades.

“We are always pleased to bring attention to organizations that advocate for health and wellness,” said Chairman Wolfe. “It is critical to highlight these alarming facts concerning the rate of lung disease in women in hopes that the information, coupled with a week dedicated to awareness, will encourage women to take action to protect and conserve their health.

The American Lung Association and Pow’r Against Tobacco work diligently to reduce tobacco use, fight lung disease through awareness, education and early detection programs. Our Legislature is pleased to support that crusade by funding a very successful smoking cessation program run by our County Health Department. As a result, we are proud to report that Rockland County has one of the lowest adult smoking rates in the state, if not the nation.”

Denise Hogan, Rockland Coordinator for Pow’r Against Tobacco accepted the proclamation on behalf of the organizations. Hogan said, “Lung cancer is the #1 killer in U.S. and we are working to bring about awareness. Lung cancer is no longer a death sentence and it is not just a smoker’s disease. The more we know about lung cancer, the sooner we can find a cure. If we know better, we do better.” Ms. Hogan thanked the Legislature for recognizing Women’s Lung Health Week.

For information on programs and services provided by the Rockland County Department of Health, visit http://rocklandgov.com/departments/health/. For information on the American Lung Association visit www.lung.org or Pow’r Against Tobacco, visit http://www.powragainsttobacco.org.