Smoking Ban to Take Effect at Substance Abuse and Mental Health Facilities

SALT LAKE CITY - In a press conference today, the Utah Departments of Health (UDOH) and Human Services (DHS) reported that by July 1, 2012, more than 150 publicly-funded substance abuse and mental health facilities across Utah will have implemented a tobacco-free environment campus policy. The facilities will also be offering tobacco cessation treatments for their clients as a part of the Recovery Plus Wellness Initiative.

Dr. Robert Rolfs, Deputy Director, Utah Department of Health, said that research supports concurrent treatment for substance abuse and tobacco cessation.

“Studies show that substance abuse patients who also smoke can increase their rate of recovery by up to 25 percent when they receive treatment for both addictions simultaneously,” Rolfs said.

Clients have also found the programs useful in their recovery.

“I was able to incorporate the same principles I was using to stop using drugs and alcohol, said Danielle, a client at the House of Hope. “I used those same principles, techniques, and tools in not smoking. It was a combination effect; if I was going to quit, I was going to quit everything.”

According to the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, people with mental illness die 25 years earlier on average than the general population, largely due to conditions caused or worsened by smoking.

“We know that tobacco use for residents of Utah suffering from mental illness or substance abuse is much higher than for the general population in Utah,” said Palmer DePaulis, Executive Director, Utah Department of Human Services. “With these facilities going 100% tobacco-free and treating tobacco use, substance abuse and mental health providers can save lives.” 

Recovery Plus was created in response to an urgent need for guidelines for creating a tobacco-free campus policy. Integrating tobacco cessation with current treatment protocols will increase recovery rates and life expectancy for individuals with substance abuse issues and/or mental illnesses.  It’s estimated that nearly 17,000 tobacco users will benefit from the cessation programs.

For more information, visit www.RecoveryPlus.Utah.Gov.  For free help quitting tobacco, call the Utah Tobacco Quit Line at 1.800.QUIT.NOW or visit www.UtahQuitNet.com.

Media Contact:

Amy Oliver

Media Coordinator

Tobacco Prevention and Control Program

(o) 801-538-6917 (c) 801-783-9067

Utah Cancer Action Network Hosts Survivorship Social

(SALT LAKE CITY) – The Utah Cancer Action Network (UCAN) is the official host of the Survivorship Summer Social, a celebration of cancer survivorship in Utah.  The UCAN Quality of Life committee will hold the event Saturday, June 23 from 4-7 p.m. at the Cancer Wellness House, 59 South 1100 East in Salt Lake City.

“We work to provide a special day to bring survivors across the state together for fun activities, speakers, and social engagement with other survivors,” said committee co-chair Ginger Johnson. “It’s free for survivors and their families, and includes food, family-friendly activities, and cancer information booths, games, and prizes”

The Utah Cancer Action Network is a diverse group of organizations and individuals representing many key stakeholders in cancer prevention and control in Utah. UCAN’s Survivorship and Quality of Life committee promotes quality of life for all cancer patients in Utah through education, social involvement, and community outreach.  This first annual social is designed to meet the needs of cancer survivors and to encourage them to live happy and healthy lives.

“Everyone in Utah who has been affected by cancer is welcome to attend,” Johnson said. 

To register for the event go to www.cancer-wellness.org or call 801-236-2294.

For more information, visit www.ucan.cc.

Media Contact:

Sylinda Lee

Media Coordinator

(w) 801-538-6829

(c) 435-760-0685

Dog … A Baby’s Best Friend?

(Salt Lake City, UT) – Recently, a news story from Ghana hailed a lost dog as a hero after the canine was found protecting a two-week old baby who had been abandoned under a bridge. Searchers looking for the dog discovered the two snuggled up together. Although the baby had an infection, he is reported to be in good health. For many abandoned newborns, the outcome might not be so positive.

Fortunately, Utahns don’t have to rely on the neighbor's dog to safeguard a newborn. The Utah Newborn Safe Haven law, which was approved several years ago, allows an unharmed newborn to be turned over by the birth mother or any other person to any staff member at a hospital. The law protects newborns from injury or death by providing a safe place but also allows the identity of the person who is giving up the newborn to remain a secret.

Once the newborn has been checked out by the hospital, the Utah Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is contacted and the baby is placed for adoption through an expedited process. "Child safety and permanency are priorities for our division," said DCFS Director Brent Platt. "The safe relinquishment law has provisions to ensure both of these priorities are met should a parent choose to safely relinquish their newborn."

According to the bill’s sponsor, Representative Patrice Arent, “Utah was one of the early states to adopt a safe haven law. Similar laws have now been passed in all 50 states, providing a safe place for a mother in crisis to surrender her newborn without fear of prosecution. Many lives have been saved as a result of this legislation.”

A 24 hour toll-free information hotline is available at 1-866-458-0058. Details may also be found on the Safe Haven website at www.utahsafehaven.org. The site includes details on Utah’s law, frequently asked questions and contact information for the hospitals that take newborns.

 

Media Contacts:

Julia Robertson
UDOH Pregnancy Risk Line
801-538-9161
Representative Patrice Arent
Utah House of Representatives – District 36
Utah Newborn Safe Haven Advisory Committee
(801) 930-0836