ORAL, HEAD AND NECK CANCER SUPPORT GROUP

If you or a Ioved one has been touched by an oral head and neck cancer diagnosis we're here for you

No Pressure Just Support

January 7, 2013 at 7:00pm

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center

1 00 Haynes Street

Manchester, CT 06040

Meetinqs-are held the1st. Monday of every month on the first Floor Conference Room

To register or for additional information contact:

Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com

American Cancer Society .1-800-227-2345

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

IAL Reports For December 2012

The International Laryngectomee Association has reported only thirteen new laryngectomees for the month of December 2012 and with only two deaths.

This is apparently indicates that the battle against smoking is beginning to show results.

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A Billboard placed in New Britain on anti- smoking for Kids

 

Tru-Tone Electrolarynx given free by the Phone Co in CA.

From: Steve & Jo Staton

Subject: Re: True Tone EL
Some States have a law that they must provide a means to allow the voiceless the ability to communicate on the phone system. I live in
California, and the Phone Co. provided a brand new Tru-Tone to me free of charge. I would call the phone Co. where you live and ask.

Can't hurt.

Steve Staton

Does anyone have any suggestions on where to get the best deal on the True

EL Tru-Tone

The International Association of Laryngectomees

During the month of November 2012 the association has announced that 22 new Larry's have joined our way of life and unfortunately 3 have met their demise.

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NEW BRITAIN'S HALS STUDENT'S ART BILLBOARD

A 11 year old Jamie Kelly posted her best art work as an anti-smoking bill board on Whiting Street, New Britain, Ct.
A sixth grader love to doodle.

ORAL,HEAD AND NECK CANCER SUPPORT GROUP

If you or a loved one has been touched by an oral head and neck cancer diagnosis we’re here for you

No Pressure Just Support

December 3rd, 7:00pm

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center

100 Haynes Street

Manchester, CT 06040

Meetings are held the 1st Monday of every month.

1st Floor Conference Room

To register or for additional information contact:

Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com

Sponsored by:

American Cancer Society 1-800-227-2345

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

Banning Smoking Would Help Casinos Rebound

By LINDA CASE
PLACE

The Hartford Courant

6:11 PM EST, November 14, 2012

It's time for a breath of fresh air at both Connecticut casinos. The people who run them should make the places entirely nonsmoking.

I happen to like casinos, especially the slots. In the book "Praying to the God of Chance," prominent New York psychoanalyst David Forrest says it can be a transcendent experience to flirt with probability. That's why so many people say a day on the gambling floor "takes me away from all my worries."

In recent years, however, the casinos here have gone way downhill, especially Foxwoods. Even though there are a few token nonsmoking areas, essentially each place is filled with secondhand smoke. A gray haze hangs over everything. It gets in your eyes, in your hair, on your clothes.

This environment is no boon for anybody, especially the many people using canes or carrying oxygen. Such pervasive pollution can aggravate medical conditions. And who pays?

In part, the government. What a great symbol it would be to announce a ban on smoking altogether. Conventional wisdom has it that it would hurt business. They said that about bars as well, and yet patronage didn't suffer. To the contrary, a smoking ban would serve as an invigorating force, an inspiration to patrons and, especially, to workers.

Nonsmoking is the wave of the future. The casinos planned for Massachusetts all will be smoke-free. To take this step here would be a bold, proactive move. It would signal the executives really want a vibrant new mood, not the dispirited one that prevails now. It would light a fire, so to speak, on overall low morale.

During my forays of late I have found both establishments to be depressing. Remember the slogan: "The wonder of it all?" Far from being wondrous, now they're woebegone — missing is a lot of the beauty and flow of the original establishments.

Slot machines are humongous now, with complicated jangling features. These and other pieces of equipment are added randomly, so parts of the floor look like someone's basement, filled with cast-offs.

One machine even requires an air rifle be shot at a screen. Various clangs and bangs are as loud as a locomotive. In other words, environments have become hellish. They're not fanciful, they're frantic.

Unfortunately, they reflect the managers' general air of desperation. At Foxwoods, even the the buffet has been diminished. At breakfast, the meal I usually go to, there are no tomato slices for the lox, no capers and the bagels are of the frozen-supermarket variety.

There are other reminders of the diminished mood: a hook is missing from a lavatory door; the ceiling is stained gray from cigarettes; carpeting is frayed, etc.

Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, I have a few modest proposals to bring back the glam.

1. Ban smoking. This alone could serve as an energizer. It would boost morale of employees. Because of the lagging economy and threat of layoffs, most workers who hate secondhand smoke probably are afraid to make a stink.

Once the workers are buoyed up, there would be a general spirit of revival at both establishments. The drink servers would be perkier, the picker uppers more energetic. Maybe even the patrons would dress with more flair. Hey, this is supposed to be an adventure.

2. Call back the architects. Such designers thoughtfully craft settings of magic — sparkly, beautiful, out of this world. The architects should be the ones to govern any change. They would see that any added feature or fixture ties in with desired ambience. Hodgepodge is no answer.

The idea is to make the place more Monte Carlo, less dollar store. During hard times, there is a tendency to cut, to cheapen. Conversely, there is the tendency to add superficial whiz-bang stuff hawked by slick salesmen. These helter-skelter additions make things worse, not better.

3. Simplify. Clean up what you have. Personally, I miss the old slots that used coins. I know those will never come back, but at least maintain a hint of the old sensual, pleasure-dome quality.

Tribal leaders, you need artists in the picture, not only money men. You need a healthy labor force. Invite all to a powwow. Be imaginative. Smoke a peace pipe. Outside. On the lawn.

Linda Case is a freelance writer from Wethersfield.

Copyright © 2012, The Hartford Courant

IAL NATIONAL REPORT

There were 17 new Laryngectomees operated on during this month.   Unfortunately, there were three that passed on.

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ORAL,HEAD AND NECK CANCER SUPPORT GROUP

If you or a loved one has been touched by an oral head and neck cancer diagnosis we’re here for you

No Pressure Just Support

November 5th, 7:00pm

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center

100 Haynes Street

Manchester, CT 06040

Meetings are held the 1st Monday of every month.

1st Floor Conference Room

To register or for additional information contact:

Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com

Sponsored by:

American Cancer Society 1-800-227-2345

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

IAL Reports for September 2012

The IAL has reported that 26 new Larengectomees has joined Lary world of breathing method through their necks.

Sadly, the association of Larygectomees, reports that they have lost 30 of their members. 

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ORAL, HEAD AND NECK SUPPORT GROUP

< ORAL HEAD AND NECk SUPPORT GROUP ., If you or a loved one has been touched by an oral head and neck cancer diagnosis we're here for you.

No Pressure Just Support October 1st, 7:00pm ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center 100 Haynes Street Manchester, CT 06040 Meetings are held the first Monday of every month. 1st Floor Conference Room To register or for additional information contact: Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com:

American Cancer Society -1-800-227-2345 ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute 1

ORAL, HEAD AND NECK CANCER SUPPORT GROUP

< If you or a loved one has been touched by an oral head and neck cancer diagnosis we're here for you No Pressure Just Support October 1st, 7:00pm ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center 100 Haynes Street Manchester, CT 06040 Meetings are held the t" Monday of every month. 1st Floor Conference Room To register or for additional information contact: Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckca[tcer..(om Sl~()I'\oSoyed btJ: American Cancer Society -1-800-227-2345 ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute 1

IAL for the month of August 2012

27 New Larygectomees have reported nationally and 18 have died.
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Hey Larys do you have relatives that are still smoking?

Smoking Cessation classes will be provided at the Hospital for Special Care for any information please contact Ms. Elyse Carroll at 860-832-6256  

IAL report for July 2012

IAL Reports 45 New Laryngectomees and sadly with 6 that died nationwide.

Here locally, 3 New Laryngectomees were operated on at the University of Connecticut Health Center all during the month of July, 2012.

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Medicare Changes in Benefits For 2012

Are you aware that Medicare added five new preventive benefits you

can get for free in 2012? Take advantage of the following benefits to

maintain your highest level of health possible.

New preventive benefits:

*Cardiovascular screening and risk reduction with advice on how to combat

heart disease.

*Depression screening, to make sure you keep your mental health.

*Obesity screening, and dietary counseling for people who are overweight.

*Alcohol misuse screening for people who are at risk for alcohol abuse.

*Screening and counseling for sexually transmitted diseases/infections, to

keep you sexually healthy.

Other preventive benefits:

*Annual wellness doctor visit

*Flu shots and pneumonia shots

*Prostate cancer screenings and colonoscopies

*Mammograms, PAP smears, and pelvic exams

*Glaucoma screenings

*Bone mass measurements

*Diabetes screenings

*Counseling to help you quit smoking

You can find more information on preventive care covered by

Medicare, at Medicareinteractive.org.

ORAL,HEAD AND NECK CANCER SUPPORT GROUP

If you or a loved one has been touched by an oral head and neck cancer diagnosis we’re here for you

No Pressure Just Support

August 6th, 7:00pm

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center

100 Haynes Street

Manchester, CT 06040

Meetings are held the 1st Monday of every month.

1st Floor Conference Room

To register or for additional information contact:

Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com

Sponsored by:

American Cancer Society 1-800-227-2345

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

HEAD AND NECK SUPPORT GROUP

If you or a loved one has been touched by an oral head and neck caneer -we're-here- TO HELP No Pressure Just Support July 2nd, 7:00pm ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center 100 Haynes Street Manchester, CT 06040 Meetings are held the 1st Monday of every month. first-,floorConference-Room - --- - - --- To register or for additional information contact: Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com - American Cancer Society .1-800-227-2345 ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

IAL Report for June 2012

The IAL has reported during the month of June 2012 there were 28 new laryngectomees nationwide and thankfully there were new deaths reported.

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IAL report for may 2012

The IAL has reported Thirteen new Larys were added to our list during the month of May and unfortunately 4 passed on nationally. One death was also reported hear locally.




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ORAL, HEAD, AND NECK CANCER GROUP

If you or a loved one has been touched by an oral head and neck cancer diagnosis we’re here for you

No Pressure Just Support

June 4th, 7:00pm

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center

100 Haynes Street

Manchester, CT 06040

Meetings are held the 1st Monday of every month.

1st Floor Conference Room

To register or for additional information contact:

Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com

Sponsored by:

American Cancer Society 1-800-227-2345

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

A Hartford Courant Editorial: State Grabs Money Meant For Quitting Smoking

EDITORIAL

State Grabs Money Meant For Quitting Smoking

Tobacco Addiction: Connecticut's government is as venal as the tobacco companies

6:51 PM EDT, April 30, 2012

When it comes to tobacco addiction, Connecticut's state government has been nearly as exploitative and venal as the tobacco companies it went after more than a dozen years ago.

The state led the nation in suing Big Tobacco, with then-Attorney General Richard Blumenthal demanding compensation for the high cost of Medicaid patients who are prone to smoke. The idea was that tobacco companies would give states money to care for the ill — and prevent others from becoming addicted.

The argument won the day. Connecticut and 45 other states won billions of dollars in 1998 as part of the historic tobacco settlement. But hypocrisy soon followed.

This income stream of $100 million-plus annually will end in 11 more years. It has become little more than a slush fund to pay for practically everything but quitting smoking. That has to stop. We must spend significantly more to reduce tobacco addition or the habit will end up costing in other ways.

The only bright spot is that — finally — Connecticut has begun to cover smoking-cessation services for more people on Medicaid — the health insurance for low-income people. Despite the fact that more than one-third of Medicaid recipients smoke, until this year our state was one of only five in the nation that didn't provide help so that low-income people could kick the habit, which would save taxpayers millions in health care costs.

In several different analyses, Connecticut had been listed as one of the very worst states in the country when it comes to spending on helping people kick the habit. This state frequently spends less than $1 million a year to help people stop. Last year, Connecticut spent zero. Between 2000 and 2009, according to an excellent Yankee Institute study (bit.ly/tobaccoct), of the $1.3 billion sent to Connecticut from the settlement, only $134 million went to the Tobacco and Health Trust Fund. But it gets even worse: The state government raided that "trust fund" of all but $9.2 million for other goals.

Mr. Blumenthal, now U.S. senator, says, "We should be embarrassed and ashamed that one of the nation's leading states in public health is failing to use the money to help people quit. "

In fiscal 2013 alone, the state will get $119 million from the tobacco settlement. The Centers for Disease Control says Connecticut should be spending more than $40 million on smoking cessation. We're not even close. It's time to help people quit smoking — the purpose for which the money was awarded in the first place.

International Association of Laryngectomees Update

According to the International Association of Laryngectomees 40 new Larys have joined the IAL and most unfortunately and sadly, 12 members have passed on to their maker.

Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Group Meeting for May 7, 2012

Book Deal Written by A Lary; Dr. Itzhak Brook

From: Itzhak Brook [dribrook@yahoo.com]

Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2012 2:57 PM

To: I brook

Subject: A physician's personal experience with throat cancer.
I am a physician and a survivor of throat cancer. After becoming a laryngectomee I wrote a book entitled " My Voice-a Physician's Personal Experience with Throat Cancer". The book captures 3 years of my life following the diagnosis of throat cancer as I dealt with medical and surgical treatments and adjusted to life afterward. Many laryngectomees found the book helpful and inspirational. You can read more about the book at my blog at http://dribrook.blogspot.com/

The book can be obtained now at a discounted price. The book usually sells for $12.95 but after the discount it costs $6.95. To get the discounted book go to https://www.createspace.com/900004368 When ordering the book(s) use the Discount Code# 5X9M4KNT

The book is also available through Amazon.com. You can also contact me directly and I will guide you how to obtain the book.

Thanks

Itzhak Brook MD MSc

E-mail: dribrook@yahoo.com or ib6@georgetown.edu

Blog site: http://dribrook.blogspot.com/

IAL Reports

35 New Laryngectomees Nationwide with the unforunate demise eight members during the past month.

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ORAL, HEAD AND NECK CANCER SUPPORT GROUP

"HEAD AND NECK CANCER SUPPORT GROUP" If you or a loved one has been touched by an oral head and neck cancer diaanosis were-here for you. No Pressure Just Support April 2nd, 7:00pm ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center 100 Haynes Street Manchester, CT 06040 Meetings are held the 1rst Monday of every month. - - -FIRST Floor Conference Room To register or for additional information contact Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com SPONSERED BY: American Cancer Society .1-800-227-2345 ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

Renna Roberts age 19 becomes a young Laryngectomee

HOW YOU’RE LIKE A PENCIL

Do you know that you are like a pencil? Here's how:

1. Like a pencil, you can correct your mistakes. You can't change the past,
but you can rectify it. And though you can't erase history, you can erase
guilt and anger with forgiveness.

2. Like a pencil, painful sharpening can serve to make you better. Your
difficult times can actually sharpen your skills or shape you into the
person you were meant to be.

3. Like a pencil, you can do great things when you allow yourself to be
held in someone's hand.

4. Like a pencil, you can leave your mark whenever possible. That is what
you're here for -- to leave your mark. It may be in small ways, it may
be in the lives of people you have touched or nurtured, but you must
leave something good behind whenever you can.

5. Like a pencil, it is what is on the inside that matters. Whether it is
understanding or intolerance, love or bitterness, peace or unrest, kindness
or self-centeredness, hope or despair, courage or fear, what is on the
inside matters most.
Next time you use a pencil, pause and think about that little
writing tool. It teaches some great lessons about living.
---Submitted by:

Marlene Haynes and Rudy Dupler

HEAD AND NECK CANCER

If you or a loved one has been touched by an oral head and
neck c-ancer diagnosis we're here tor you - --
No Pressure Just Support
March 5, at 7:00pm
ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute
John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center
1 00 Haynes Street
Manchester, CT 06040
Meetings are held the 1st Monday of every month.
-,st Floor 'Conference -Room- -- - - -
To register or for additional information contact:
Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com


Sponsered by The -----American Cancer Society .1-800-227-2345
ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

Superior Court Judge: Roll-Your-Own Tobacco Stores Don't Violate State Law

courant.com/business/hc-ct-roll-your-own-machine-ruling-20120227,0,5944352.story

Courant.com
Superior Court Judge: Roll-Your-Own Tobacco Stores Don't Violate State Law

Get Business Mobile Text Alerts

By JANICE PODSADA, jpodsada@courant.com

The Hartford Courant

6:42 PM EST, February 27, 2012

Advertisement


A Connecticut Superior Court Judge has ruled that roll-your-own tobacco shops are not cigarette manufacturers and thus are not violating state law by allowing customers to operate automated rolling machines, which can produce about 200 cigarettes in 10 minutes.

State officials had sought a preliminary injunction, which would have allowed the state to bar the use of roll-your-own machines at tobacco shops. That was denied Friday by Superior Court Judge William Bright.

The case will now proceed, but lawyers for the shops say Bright's ruling means their claim — that the businesses are self-service, not cigarette manufacturers — will probably prevail in the end.

The lawsuit, filed in August by Attorney General George Jepsen on behalf of Kevin B. Sullivan, state commissioner of revenue services, targeted Tracey's Smoke Shop and Tobacco LLC, charging the company with illegally manufacturing cigarettes at its stores in Norwalk and Orange.

"I'm really happy with the outcome," Tracey Scalzi, the smoke shops' owner, said Monday.

The Department of Revenue Services claimed the machines are commercial cigarette-making machines and retailers who operate them must obtain a cigarette-manufacturing license and pay the associated fees and tariffs, including Connecticut's cigarette tax, which adds $3.40 to a pack of cigarettes.

Scalzi operates six of the machines at the two stores, which opened about a year ago. Scalzi and other tobacco shop owners have said the machines only produce enough cigarettes for personal use.

About a dozen roll-your-own tobacco shops have opened around the state in the last two years. Customers typically pay about $40 for 8 ounces of loose tobacco, 200 hollow cigarette tubes and the use of the machine. Employees, who cannot physically assist customers in operating the machines, are only to "talk" customers through the process.

The machine, which costs about $40,000, automatically fills each tube with tobacco and then ejects the finished cigarette into a collection bin, an eight-minute process that produces the equivalent of a carton of cigarettes --10 packs of 20 cigarettes. Scalzi and other tobacco shop owners say the machines, like other legal roll-your-own devices, only produce enough cigarettes for personal use.

"In essence, the court opinion stated that provided that there was no direct participation by employees, consumers who want to rent a machine can do so and it does not constitute manufacture," said Anthony Troy, an attorney with Atlanta-based Toutman Sanders LLP, which represented Tracey's Smoke Shop.

In a joint statement, issued Monday, Jepsen and Sullivan said: "Superior Court Judge William Bright issued a preliminary injunction Friday in the state's ongoing lawsuit against Tracey's Smoke Shop and Tobacco. We are pleased with the court's preliminary determination under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act that the smoke shop has been operating illegally in several ways as a cigarette manufacturer."

Investigators with the attorney general's office did find that in some instances, employees assisted customers in operating the machines, which is illegal.

The court ordered that smoke shop employees cannot directly participate in the operation of the filling stations to make finished cigarettes. The smoke shops are also prohibited from making cartons or packs of cigarettes on the premises and then offering them for sale.

However, claims that the shops violated fire safety standards were dismissed.

State officials failed to prove that "an activity that can be legally performed, presumably without causing irreparable harm, in one's home — rolling your own cigarettes — causes irreparable harm merely because it is performed more quickly at the defendants' stores," Bright wrote in his decision.

Jepsen and Sullivan said, "We are disappointed in other aspects of the court's ruling that fail to bar the use of automatic "roll-your-own" machines in stores by tobacco retailers. The decision, however, is not a final ruling and litigation to finally determine this matter will continue."

Said Troy, "It is not a final order. It is an opinion. It is a temporary injunction. We are pleased and we will work with the attorney general."

Attorney Bryan Haynes, a partner at Troutman Sandders, said the temporary injunction bodes well for the tobacco shops. "You've got a judge's determination that these machines do not constitute manufacture. What the judge is saying is that the state is not likely to succeed in that claim."

"We're not manufacturing cigarettes — we're selling tobacco and tubes," said Michael Hatzisavvas, owner of Big Cat's Smoke Shop in Bristol. Big Cat's was not named in the lawsuit.

Hatzisavvas, who employs four people at his store, said he plans to open a second Connecticut store in May.He would not say the location.

The machines, made by RYO Machine LLC, a Cincinnati company, began appearing a few years ago. Bryan Haynes, an attorney representing the company, which was founded in 2008, has said the company's machines are not in the same league as commercial cigarette-making equipment.

"The advanced machines used by companies like Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds will produce 20,000 cigarettes in a minute," Haynes said last December.


Post Your Comment Below

The Hartford Courant

IAL Report

The IAL reported during the month of February 35 new Larys with 8 members that died this past month.

Cigarette Competition

The New York times recently reported that the New York Indian tribes are fighting the federal and state taxes imposed on cigarettes by manufacturing their own brand of cigarettes.
Their two bands, Niagara's and Bishop, sell for $39.95 per carton for a much cheaper than those sold at non Indian retailers. Additional Indian Brands have surfaced called The Buffalo, Gator, and Senate.
The fear is that these Indian brands will surface in other states creating more smokers because of the lower competitive cost.

Oral, HEAD AND NECK CANCER SUPPORT GROUP ..


If you or a loved one has been touched by an
oral head and
- -- - neck cancer disqnosis-we're here for YOU

No Pressure Just Support
February 6, at 7:00pm

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute
John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center
1 00 Haynes Street
Manchester, CT 06040

_ Meetings_~_are held the 1rst~ Monday of every month.
1st Floor Conference Room

To register or for additional information contact:
Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com
Sponsored by:

American Cancer Society .1-800-227-2345
ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

IAL report

The IAL reported for the month of January there were 41 new Laryngectomees and unfortunately 6 passed on including one at UCHC in Farmington, Ct.

State's Smoking Prevention Efforts Get Mixed Grades

State's Smoking Prevention Efforts Get Mixed Grades
American Lung Association Releases State-By-State Report
BY WILLIAM WEIR, bweir@courant.com

The Hartford Courant

7:20 PM EST, January 19, 2012

The American Lung Association gave Connecticut failing grades for how little it spends on smoking prevention efforts, but high marks for the state's steep sales tax on cigarettes.

The American Lung Association released its state-by-state report Thursday. Connecticut received an "F" for spending only a fraction of its $500 million tobacco revenues on smoking prevention and control and an "F" for minimal coverage of smoke cessation programs. But the average sales tax of $3.40 per cigarette pack earned the state an "A," and Connecticut laws restricting smoking in public places received a "C."

Dr. Carl Sherter, chief of the pulmonary section at Waterbury Hospital, said he agrees with the ALA's assessment.

"We spend very little if anything of the hundreds of millions given to us," he said. Sherter said he has unsuccessfully tried to persuade state officials for five years to allow Medicaid coverage for nicotine cessation medication.

That's finally changed. As of the start of this year, anyone covered under Medicaid can get over-the-counter and prescription medicines for smoking cessation. Even better, Sherter said, would be if the state organized and funded smoking cessation programs. Budgetary concerns have kept the state from spending more, which Sherter said is shortsighted.

"If you can stop somebody from smoking, you save a lot in the long run," he said.

But Sherter said the state has made progress. "Twenty years ago, if you walked outside of a hospital, they'd be smoking outside the portico," he said. "Now you have to walk down the street."

Bryte Johnson of the state chapter of the American Cancer Society said the report "is very concerning and clearly shows we have a lot of work ahead of us."

Two Fs, an A and a C is hardly an exemplary report card, but it could be worse. Six states — Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia — received all failing grades. No state received straight As, but four states — Delaware, Hawaii, Maine and Oklahoma — earned all passing grades.

Laryngectomees That are Having Trouble to be understood on the Telephone

There is something else you can use if you are having problems being understood. Dial 711, you will get someone on the line that can speak for you.

They will introduce themselves on the line, they can just listen and jump in if there is a problem or they can do all the talking.

I haven't used this service in a long time but when I did it was very helpful.

Just something that can be helpful for anyone with speech problems. Like a New Lary