Vance medical campus becomes a tobacco-free zone

  • Published
  • By Jessica Gibson
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The Vance Clinic, and all its facilities, became completely tobacco-free July 19, in accordance with a mandate from Lt. Gen. Charles Green, the Air Force Surgeon General.

The mandate was issued Oct. 1, 2010, and requires that all Air Force medical facilities be completely tobacco-free by the end of calendar year 2011.

"It (the mandate) is to help maintain a more fit and healthy force," said Lt. Col. Evyn Helber, the Medical Support Squadron commander. "The total amount of lost duty time because of smoking every year equates to the loss of an entire wing," he said. "It's an enormous drain on people's health and has a big impact on the Air Force's ability to produce combat-ready Airmen."

The main changes include removal of designated smoking areas and prohibition of any tobacco use while on the medical campus, to include parking lots.

The clinic has had some time to plan the smoothest adjustment possible, Helber explained. "Of course we're going to have a few folks who are not too happy about the change, but we hope it will be an educational thing," he said. "It's absolutely the right thing to do."

The switch to tobacco-free comes as a part of the Air Force's continued emphasis on fitness and maintaining a healthy force.

"We, as the Air Force, want to show the importance of a healthy lifestyle," said Helber. "The standards keep evolving. The image of tobacco has changed a lot in the past ten years and it can really hinder the ability to perform. We need a fit force," Helber said.

"Tobacco users are more likely to perform poorly on their fitness test due to decreased lung capacity and poor blood circulation," said Beth Moss, the Health Promotion educator and manager at Vance's Health and Wellness Center. "Becoming tobacco free means your endurance will increase and you will heal from injuries quicker," she said.

"Go off tobacco before you go downrange," Moss added. "Being nicotine-free means improved performance, better night vision, quicker recovery and increased energy, which means you are at 100 percent for your buddies. They are counting on you."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's official website, tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death. Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body, and causes a myriad of serious illnesses, including an increased risk of heart problems and stroke, many types of cancers, and adverse affects on pregnancies and births.

Second-hand smoke is also extremely harmful, especially to children, causing health issues like asthma, increased risk of infection, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Smokeless tobacco can cause many serious health problems as well.

Health data indicates smoking reduces physical endurance, harms long-term health and significantly impacts an Airman's ability to operate effectively, according to the Surgeon General's tobacco-free mandate.

"We have to continue to perpetuate the mindset that tobacco use is not a good thing," Helber said. "The population as a whole really suffers from tobacco use, both in direct monetary costs and in diseases. The main thing is to promote healthy lifestyles by making it more difficult to use tobacco in areas like the clinic."

"Plus," said Moss at the HAWC, "the extra $2,000 per year you will save can buy some great shoes, work-out gear and a mini-vacation."

In light of the changes made at the clinic, the HAWC is offering a smoking-cessation class called Fresh Start. Fresh Start is an American Cancer Society program offered quarterly. The current group of four sessions started July 19 and ends July 28.

Class times vary based on the schedules of the people who sign up, and locations vary from session to session. The program is free for any military, civilian employees, contractors or military beneficiaries.

"Fresh Start has been proven to help tobacco users successfully quit," said Moss. "A program like Fresh Start provides skills, motivation and support to participants to help them successfully become tobacco-free, for themselves and the people who look up to them, she said.

"Quitting can be difficult. That is why we have multiple options to assist you, including face-to-face, online, medication and telephone," said Moss.

There is also an online option from the American Lung Association called "Premium Freedom from Smoking." It is a web-based program with eight modules designed to guide participants through every stage of quitting.

For more information about Fresh Start and other resources, contact Moss at the HAWC, 213-6420. To reach the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline, call 866-748-2436. To contact the Air Force Lung Helpline, call 877-695-7848.