Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/694155
It'snevertoolateto quit smok- ing. While it's best to stop as early as possible, kicking the smok- ing habit at any age will enhance the length and quality of your life. As soon as you stop, your body begins to re- pair the damage caused by smoking. You'll also save money and you won't have to run out- side your home or office every time the urge to light up hits you. Medicare now covers counseling sessions to help you stop smoking, even if you haven't been diagnosed with an ill- ness caused by tobacco use. You pay nothing for smoking cessation coun- seling, as long as you get it from a doctor or other qualified provider who accepts Medicare reim- bursement. Many state Medicaid programs cover smok- ing cessation services as well. Smoking tobacco can cause many diseases, in- cluding heart disease, respiratory diseases, and lung cancer — the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. More than 56 million Ameri- cans still smoke tobacco, but quitting can reduce your risk of getting these diseases. So if you have Medi- care or Medicaid, make a note to talk with your doctor about quitting. Medicare covers eight face-to-face smoking ces- sation counseling ses- sions during a 12-month period. What happens in these sessions? Your doc- tor may follow the "5 A's" approach: ask patients about their smoking hab- its; advise them to quit; assess their willingness to quit; assist their at- tempts to quit; and ar- range follow-up. To help you get off and stay off tobacco, your physician may pre- scribe one of seven an- tismoking drugs cur- rently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Ad- ministration. Medicare often covers such medi- cations under its Part D prescription drug pro- gram. What are the health benefits of not smoking? Here's what you'll expe- rience, according to the American Lung Associ- ation: 20 minutes after quit- ting your heart rate drops to a normal level. 12 hours after quitting the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal. 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting your risk of having a heart attack begins to drop and your lung function begins to improve. 1 to 9 months after quitting your coughing and shortness of breath decrease. 1 year after quitting your added risk of cor- onary heart disease is half that of a smoker's. 5 to 15 years after quitting your risk of hav- ing a stroke is reduced to that of a nonsmoker's and your risk of getting cancer of the mouth, throat, or esophagus is half that of a smoker's. 10 years after quitting your risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a smoker's, your risk of getting bladder cancer is half that of a smoker's and your risk of getting cervical can- cer or cancer of the lar- ynx, kidney or pancreas decreases. 15 years after quitting your risk of coronary heart disease is the same as that of a nonsmoker. I also want to men- tion that Medicare cov- ers screening for lung cancer with Low Dose Computed Tomography. To qualify, you must be age 55-77; be either a current smoker or have quit smoking within the last 15 years; have a to- bacco smoking history of at least 30 "pack years" (an average of one pack a day for 30 years); not have any signs or symp- toms of lung cancer and get a written order from your physician or quali- fied non-physician prac- titioner. You pay nothing for this screening if your doctor or other qualified provider accepts Medi- care reimbursement. For more information on kicking the habit, visit http://www.cancer. gov/about-cancer/causes- prevention/risk/tobacco/ help-quitting-fact-sheet. CateKortzebornis Medicare's acting regional administrator for Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the Pacific Territories. You can always get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1- 800-633-4227). CATEKORTZEBORN Let Medicare help you stop smoking Findusonline! Advocacy American Legion, Lassen Post 0167 Red Bluff, 528-1026 AmericanLegion,Raisner Post 45 Corning, 518-3152 Am Vets, Post 2002 Corning, 526-2883 VFW Los Molinos, 384-1301 Red Bluff, 528-1026 Corning Post 4218 Dis- trict 15 Auxiliary 4218, District 15 824-5957 DAV 529-4579 MarineCorpsLeague,De- tachment 1140 (888) MCL-1140 Military Family Support Group 529-1852 or 529-2416 Services Tehama County Veterans Service Office 529-3664 Tehama County Veterans Collaborative Tehama Together, 527- 2223 Veteran Resource Center Chico (530) 809-2831 Redding (530) 223-3211 VA Crisis Hotline (800) 273-8255 VA Homeless Outreach (530) 247-7917 Redding VA Outpatient Clinic (530) 226-7555 Chico VA Outpatient Clinic (530) 879-5000 Veterans Home, Redding (530) 224-3800 FaithBasedAdvocacy PATH — Poor And The Homeless 736-3959 PastorDaveLambers,VCF 736-3400 Servingveterans? If your local organization or government entity offers service specific to veterans, send contact information to editor@redbluffdailynews. com, fax to 527-9251 or drop it off at 545 Diamond Ave. in Red Bluff during business hours to be added to this listing. RESOURCES Veterans services, advocacy groups Introduction to the Wil- lows of California (Salica- ceae) by John Bair is sched- uled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat- urday, June 25 at 129 Holt Hall, California State Uni- versity, Chico. This workshop will focus on the leaf, stem and other vegetative growth charac- teristics while emphasiz- ing the regional distribu- tions of the different species of willows. Bair's interests include the effect of stream- flow regulation on the Sal- icaceae. Registration is $100 and those interested are urged to register in advance. Introduction to Native Bees as Pollinators is sched- uled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, July 14. There are many kinds of bees in nature, and even within urban areas in Northern California. Rob Schlising and Robert Irwin will showcase native bees for people who like nature in this workshop, and for those who are involved in land management and con- servation. The workshop will pro- mote inviting these polli- nating insects to "work" and live in your own gar- dens. No specific knowledge of bees is needed ahead of time, although a basic un- derstanding of general in- sect morphology and some familiarity with dichoto- mous keys would be helpful. The workshop will meet in 129 Holt Hall at CSU, Chico. Cost is $100 and those in- terested are urged to regis- ter in advance. There will be an optional field trip on July 15, condi- tion permitting. For more information about these and other up- coming workshops, visit www.friendsofthechicos- tateherbarium.com/events- viewcalendar/. To register, call the Bi- ology office at 898-5356 or write to epurvis@csuchico. edu. CHICO STATE Herbarium plans workshops This Father's Day, Cali- fornia Department of Child Support Services honors dads who make a power- ful difference in the lives of their children. Being a dad can be the greatest job in the world and it's a great respon- sibility. To help make fa- therhood a little easier, DCSS offers services and resources to establish pa- ternity, settle outstanding child support and provides assistance navigating the child support process. To help children take ad- vantage of all of the ben- efits of having an estab- lished father, DCSS offers the Paternity Opportunity Program. This program helps dads obtain a Decla- ration of Paternity, which includes several provisions for their children. For instance, the fa- ther's name is added to the child's birth certificate so he or she may be included on their father's health in- surance plan to receive proper medical care, re- ceive social security and veterans benefits and the right to inherit from their father. For more informa- tion on POP, visit http:// www.childsup.ca.gov/re- sources/establishpater- nity.aspx. To ensure fathers, and others, who have gotten be- hind on their child support obligation don't feel they cannot be a part of their children's lives because of outstanding debt, DCSS offers the Compromise of Arrears Program. This pro- gram gives those who owe past due child support to the state a chance to work through a compromise and forgiveness of a portion of their debt. To check your eligibility for COAP, call 866-901-3212 or stop by your local child support agency for a free evalua- tion. For more informa- tion on COAP, visit http:// www.childsup.ca.gov/pay- ments/compromiseofarre- arsprogram.aspx. DCSS also offers services to parents who are not liv- ing together and who have either a private court order or informal child support arrangement. For these ar- rangements, DCSS tracks and records payments, of- fers legal guidance, pro- vides free court filings and helps process modifi- cations to existing orders. To find out how your LCSA can help you, find contact information here: http:// w w w.childsup.ca.gov/ home/lcsaoffices.aspx. Father's Day posters are available for downloading at http://www.childsup. ca.gov/resources/publica- tions.aspx#fathersday. CHILD SUPPORT Father's Day message to all parents MINERAL Thesummercen- tennial season is underway at Lassen Volcanic National Park. More than 650 visitors took the opportunity to hike or bike the park highway June 11 just hours before the road opened to vehicles. The park's Reach Higher Trail Challenge kicked off on June 11 for National Get Outdoors Day and will chal- lenge visitors to hike at least three of the park's trails this summer and fall. "This is an opportunity for visitors to enjoy Las- sen's scenic trails and take a fitness challenge that will earn hikers a special park centennial bandana," said Park Superintendent Steve Gibbons. As visitors drive along the park highway they can listen to the new Then and Now Highway Audio Tour which includes 16 stops that delve into Lassen Vol- canic's 100-year history and highlights the triumphs and challenges of today. "I would also like to thank North State Public Radio News Director Matt Shilts and park volunteer Dave Schlom for their work with park staff to develop, produce and narrate this wonderful program," Gib- bons said. Visitors can download the MP3 files on the park website through the Lassen Audio Tours podcast before visiting the park, or through Wi-Fi at either the Manza- nita Lake Camper Store or Kohm-Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center. Individuals then select each numbered au- dio file at the correspond- ing roadside markers. The Then and Now Audio Tour is expected to be the first of many tours in the Lassen Audio Tours series. To take the Reach Higher Trail Challenge, print from the website or pick up a par- ticipant brochure at an en- trance station, Loomis Mu- seum or Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center, choose from any of the 150 miles of trails in the park and get hiking. Once you've completed at least three hikes share your results with a park ranger at the museum or visitor cen- ter to receive your commem- orative bandana. Come prepared for cool weather especially in the early morning and late af- ternoon. Lassen is a high elevation park ranging from 5,650 to 10,457 feet and weather can change quickly. Check the weather forecast before your visit and come prepared for the conditions. It is recom- mended you wear layers and bring sunscreen, sun- glasses and a hat. Even on overcast days, sun expo- sure is greater at higher el- evations. The Lassen Volca- nic National Park Highway is weather-dependent this time of year and is subject to closure at any time due to snow and icy conditions. The Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center and Loomis Museum are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/lavo, call the park at 595-4480 or write to lavo_information@nps. gov. LASSEN VOLCANIC Lassen Park begins summer centennial season Cate Kortzeborn SpecialthankstoourFarmer'sMarketSponsors: WEDNESDAYNIGHTS•5-8:00PM OnWashington&PineStreets,DowntownRedBluff KIDS ACTIVITIES 5:30-7:30PM EVERY WEDNESDAY Sponsored and facilitated by Red Bluff Parks & Recreation DRBBA SUMMER CONCERT SERIES August 31 MIKE BROWN Country September 7 LOOSELY STRUNG Fiddlers/Country June 22 ROY DYER & THE BIG-UNS Country Blues/Rock 29 AFTER-THOT Electric Acoustic July 6 CHAD BUSHNELL Country 13 FLASHBACK Blues/Rock/R&B 20 PINE DOGZ Country Rock 27 SONS OF JEFFERSON Bluegrass August 3 LTD BAND Rock 10 FLAGSHIP ARMADA Alternative/Indie Rock 17 CALIFORNIA COUNTRY Country 24 MATTHEW SONGMAKER Bluegrass/Acoustic Guitar • SHOP FRESH • SHOP LOCAL • EAT HEALTHY • LIVE HEALTHY EBT/CREDIT/DEBIT ACCEPTED Don'tforgetourSaturday"MarketbytheRiverPark,nowthroughSeptember24th,7:30AmuntilNoon Question?PleasestopbytheChamberofficeorcall527-6220x301or email Jason@redbluffchamber.com Please remember that both Wednesday night and Saturday morning Markets are Certified therefor pets are not allowed. Thank you! 365-7194 or 365-4322 OPEN 7 DAYS 6am-10pm 8080 AIRPORT ROAD Your full service: Meat Department, Deli & Groceries www.kentsmeats.com On-site HARVESTING CUTTING & CRYOVACING EarlyMovers Ages: 6-18 months Wednesdays 10:00 am-11am Teeter Toddlers Ages: 18 mo-3 yrs Wednesdays 11am-Noon Wiggle Worms Ages: 4-6 Monday & Wednesday 4:00 pm-5:00 pm Dyanamic Development Ages: 7-12 Monday & Wednesday 5:00 pm-6:00 pm Formoreinformationandpricing contact the staff at TFFC (530) 528-8656 2498 S. Main St., Red Bluff, CA 96080 LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, June 18, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6