Medical center offer program to help people quit smoking

Studies show that an individual's blood pressure drops just 20 minutes after he or she quits smoking and that lung function increases 30 percent one to three months after quitting. Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is working to educate the community on managing risk factors that cause cardiovascular disease through a free program. No Ifs, Ands or Butts, a smoking cessation support and advice program, is being offered to the public at 6:30 p.m. beginning Monday, March 6. The sessions run 90 minutes each for six weeks and are held in the I.O. Silver Cardiovascular Specialties clinic, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, University Physician Center, suite 600, in Hershey. The program walks smokers through the entire process from decision-making to quitting and through relapse prevention. Seating is limited. Individuals who want more information or want to register may call the medical center's 24-hour CareLine at (800) 243-1455. The program is free to the public. Medical center employees, enrolled in the medical benefits plan and who have filled out the Capital BlueCross health compass, will earn points for their Wellness Points Account if they fill out steps one and two from the PennStateWellness Web site. To complete steps one and two, go directly to http://www.hmc.psu.edu/wellness/smoking/ online.