This week, Crestview High School, Laurel Hill School and Fort Walton Beach High School's Students Working Against Tobacco members are educating the public about the dangers of chewing tobacco.

They're providing lunchtime presentations as part of an ongoing effort to teach others about smokeless tobacco's harmful effects.

Last week, Crestview High School student SWAT members Shayna Clay, Erika Newland and Olivia Rodriguez presented a resolution to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products in Niceville, which the City Council unanimously approved. Niceville joins Crestview, Laurel Hill and Fort Walton Beach in the ban.

Such efforts, including  those from the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County and Tobacco Free Florida, aim to encourage longer lives.

“Tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States; and nearly 90 percent of tobacco users started before they were 18 years old,” Karen Chapman, the Okaloosa health department's director, said.

“Tobacco products that taste like chocolate, candy or fruit appeal to kids, so banning the sale of these products is a great step in the right direction.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Students teaching classmates about dip's dangers

For the past 30 years, I've fought for lung health with the American Lung Association. Our organization has been a leader in the battle against tobacco, which is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the U.S. Over the years, this battle has experienced dramatic highs and disappointing lows.  CVS Caremark’s recent announcement that they will no longer sell tobacco products at CVS/pharmacy locations represents a great milestone in efforts to move toward becoming a healthier, smokefree nation. 

CVS Caremark took a bold step in making the health and well-being of current and future customers and employees a top priority. We at the American Lung Association commend the company’s leaders for their decision and urge more retailers to follow CVS Caremark’s brave lead, and help eliminate tobacco-caused deaths and disease by pulling tobacco products from their own shelves

Reducing access to tobacco is an important first step, but we also need to support those who are actively trying to quit. There are approximately 43 million American smokers.  Of those, 70 percent – or 30 million individuals – want to quit.

Comprehensive quit-smoking programs like the Lung Association's Quitter in You program (www.quitterinyou.org), coupled with a decision like CVS's, can help us move toward a generation that will not be defined by smoking-related illnesses like lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

You can help! Sign our online pledge (http://bit.ly/1moYG20), and help the American Lung Association end the tobacco epidemic by:

You can also do your part by patronizing retailers like CVS who put public health first.

Working together, we can create America’s first tobacco-free generation and help make tobacco history.

Harold P. Wimmer is the American Lung Association's national president and CEO. Please contact me at Gregg.Tubbs@lung.org or 202-715-3469 for verification purposes. Thank you for your consideration.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Commentary: CVS pulling tobacco products is a public health game-changer

CRESTVIEW — The April 11 FNBT.com Suite 100 Charity Golf Classic is more than a chance to play Shalimar Pointe's links. Fundraisers are an integral part of providing county residents with mental health services.

Florida ranks next to last among the 50 states in funding for mental health services, First Judicial Circuit Court Judge Terrance Ketchel and Ginny Barr, the Mental Health Association of Okaloosa and Walton Counties' executive director, said.

It would take an additional $500 million allocation a year just to advance to 48th place, Ketchel said.Fifty percent of his court's caseload is family law matters, many of which focus on mental health, he said.

Barr, speaking with Ketchel during the Feb. 12 combined meeting of the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce Government Issues and Health and Wellness committees, described mental health as "feeling good about yourself, feeling good about others (and) feeling good about life."

However, shortage of funding makes the Mental Health Association depend on fundraisers such as the April golf tournament, she said.

The association receives "thousands of calls" each year for information and assistance, but the number of inpatient mental health beds is at about the same level as during the Civil War, Barr said.

"As treatment moved from inpatient to outpatient alternatives, funding, expected to move with the patients, did not," Barr said.

The association, working with county sheriffs' offices,  determined many mental health cases involve patients who are off their medication due to financial difficulty.

The association partners with area pharmacies to provide emergency one-month supplies of medications when possible, costing the organization as much as $15,000 per year.

One in four of the chronically homeless, many of whom are military veterans, have mental health problems, many severe, she said.

But needy patients usually end up in a hospital emergency room, which is the most expensive treatment facility, but for the area, is the only option, Barr said.

HOW TO HELP

The Mental Health Association of Okaloosa and Walton Counties welcomes new members and donations to help support area mental health services. Annual dues are $30, payable by PayPal or check. Contact 244-1040 or pay at www.mhaow.org or 571 Mooney Road, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: NEXT TO LAST: Florida ranks 49th in funding for mental health, experts say

CRESTVIEW — Holly Jacobs is preparing for the future; for her, that means understanding Parkinson's disease.

The Crestview resident said she has not been diagnosed with the degenerative disorder, but she and her physicians believe she is experiencing the onset. Last July, she experienced tremors in both arms. That was enough for her husband, Gary, to suggest seeing a doctor. 

Parkinson's disease, which affects nearly 1 million people in the U.S., causes the malfunction and death of vital nerve cells in the brain and leads to uncontrollable movements, according to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation website.  

Parkinson's has several symptoms, including tremors of the hands, arms, face and neck, slowness of movements, limb stiffness and posture instability.

There is no cure for Parkinson's, but medications and medical procedures are available to help treat symptoms. Annual treatments can cost $2,500 per person, and therapeutic surgeries can cost up to $100,000 per patient, according to the foundation.  

Jacobs, who has no family history of Parkinson's, said her health insurance can cover those costs. For now, she just wants to learn from those dealing with the disease.

"I want to how they are feeling, about the many medications (available) and what kind of diet helps," she said.

The closest Parkinson's support group is in Pensacola, and that is simply too far for her to travel, Jacobs said.

She hopes to learn from residents in the Crestview area, perhaps by starting a support group, or just meeting one-on-one with someone who's been through the experience.

"I am willing to be a leader or a follower, whatever it takes," she said.

WANT TO HELP?

North Okaloosa residents interested in starting a Parkinson's disease support group can contact Holly Jacobs, 758-7006, or holly0171@hotmail.com.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Woman seeks local support for Parkinson's concerns

CRESTVIEW — An estimated 40 percent of North Okaloosa residents carry an infectious bug on their skin, but taking preventive actions can curb its effects, according to local health care professionals. 

MRSA, the common name for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is among infectious diseases spreading in the area, North Okaloosa Medical Center infection control nurse Lida Deonarine said.

Symptoms can include red bumps, which initially resemble acne and eventually can become painful, potentially life-threatening abscesses that require draining, according to the Mayo Clinic.

"MRSA is very easy to kill until it gets inside (the body) — then it gets very hard to kill because it is resistant to antibiotics," Deonarine said.

However, "it is not as scary as it might sound," she said. "Most of the time, if we (practice) good hand hygiene, we're not going to spread it. It's not airborne. It's just spread by contact."

Deonarine, speaking last week to the Crestview Area Ministerial Association,  said applying alcohol-based hand sanitizer helps prevent infection.

Flu admissions increase

NOMC is admitting more flu patients this year than in previous years, including 2009 when the H1N1 strain was first identified, Deonarine said.

Influenza, like MRSA, is an infection that can be spread by contact.

"It's not floating in the air. It's spread by secretions," Deonarine said, adding that people should cough in their elbow, rather than their hands, to prevent touching something and spreading the disease.

Everyone should keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in their car or purse for when they come in contact with commonly touched surfaces such as gas pump handles and door knobs, Deonarine said.

Take precautions — don't panic

The Rev. Joe Butryn, youth minister at Joy Fellowship, took the message in stride, acknowledging the importance of taking preventive measures while cautioning his colleagues about over-reacting to infectious bacteria's presence.

The Rev. Jim Vail of First Baptist Church of Baker agreed. For him, he said, the simple hand-sanitizing precaution Deonarine advised has been effective.

"After shaking hands after church, I always wash the fellowship off my hands," Vail joked.

About MRSA

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection is caused by a staph bacteria strain that's become resistant to antibiotics that treat most staph infections. Applying alcohol-based hand sanitizer can help prevent spread of the disease.

Health care-associated MRSA infections typically are associated with invasive procedures, such as surgeries, intravenous tubing or artificial joints.

Community-associated MRSA is spread by skin-to-skin contact. At-risk populations include high school wrestlers, child care workers and people who live in crowded areas.

Source: The Mayo Clinic

How to be a good visitor

Here's how to prevent spreading infections when visiting someone in the hospital:

• Wash your hands before and after visiting the patient. Soap and hand sanitizer are in each NOMC room and in the hallways.

• Stay home if you are sick or have been sick in the past three days.

• Ask hospital staffers if it's safe to take children, food or flowers into the room

• Follow special precautions, if necessary, if the patient is on "isolation precautions"

• Don't contribute to the clutter by bringing too many patient belongings.

Source: North Okaloosa Medical Center

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 40 percent of area population could be carrying MRSA bacteria