For Immediate Release
January 20, 2004

Contact:
Anne Drouin
(207) 791-3851
Web Site: http://www.martinspoint.org

Quitting smoking is not easy. But programs like those offered at Martin's Point Health Care can help.

The non-profit healthcare organization offers a weekly smoking cessation support group that is open to the public and free of charge. The group meets at Martin's Point in Portland on Veranda Street and is available to others in the state by appointment or phone.

Participants do not need to be a Martin's Point patient to take advantage of the program, which provides information and support for individuals either trying to quit or interested in learning about quitting. Topics covered include nicotine patches and other methods, dealing with weight gain, health risks and emotional and psychological concerns.

"This is especially timely, given the new Maine law prohibiting smoking in bars," said Leigh Kirchner, Senior Health Educator at Martin's Point Health Care. "But it's always a good idea to try to stop smoking."

Registration is not required. The sessions are held every Monday except on holidays at 5 p.m. in Portland, at the Health Ed building at Martin's Point, 331 Veranda Street. At the Martin's Point locations in Brunswick and Windham, patients are offered free telephone help sessions by calling Leigh Kirchner at 791-3736.

Martin's Point, a not-for-profit health care provider with facilities in Portland, Brunswick and Windham, Maine, and in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, serves more than 54,000 patients in the areas of family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, radiology, cardiology, and mammography, as well as other fields.

The Martin's Point Health Education Center has a variety of related resource materials that includes publications and videos. The center also offers information and classes that focus on a host of other topics, ranging from weight loss to disease management. For additional information, visit online at www.martinspoint.org

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