KFMC, KMA Partner with Health Care Stakeholdersto Aid Kentuckians who Commit to Quit Smoking The Kentucky Foundation for Medical Care and the Kentucky Medical Association have some advice for smokers who are striving to finally put smoking on pause for good–talk to your physician to help you find success. For the past year, KMA and KFMC have teamed with local county medical societies and other health care partners to help smokers Commit to Quit through a public health campaign that focuses on the critical relationship between patient and physician.KMA, KFMC and their partners launched the campaign in early January 2016.Studies show that as many as seven in 10 smokers want to quit; physicians can help them find the right path. When smokers work with their physician, they are more likely to be successful. In fact, the long-term rate for abstaining from smoking jumped from 7 percent to 30 percent when smokers seek help from their physician, a 2007 report from the Association of American Medical Colleges found.“It just makes sense,” said Shawn Jones, MD, of Paducah, vice-president of the Kentucky Foundation for Medical Care and a smoking cessation advocate. “Physicians know their patients best and can recommend what they think will work for individual patients. Physicians can prescribe any needed medication and point smokers who want to quit down a path where they can be successful.”Smoking is the leading cause of cancer in the United States, and tobacco use increases the risk of many causes of cancer. In Kentucky, 30 percent of adults and 14 percent of teens self-report as smokers. The commonwealth leads the nation in the number of cancer deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking also contributes to other health problems, including heart disease, stroke, emphysema and bronchitis.When people quit smoking, their health improves almost immediately. According to the American Heart Association, a smoker’s blood pressure and heart rate recovers from the cigarette-induced spike in only 20 minutes after quitting. Within 12 hours, the carbon monoxide levels in a smoker’s blood return to normal. One week after quitting, clear and deeper breathing gradually returns and circulation and lung function begin to improve in as short as two weeks.“We can’t deny the health problems smoking has caused and the benefits people can attain by quitting,” said Dr. Jones. “Physicians stand ready to help our patients drastically improve their health by kicking the habit for good.”