For Immediate Release
September 5, 2007
Contact: John Shaffer
732-776-4166
jshaffer@meridianhealth.com

K. HOVNANIAN CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CALLS FOR INCREASED PROTECTION FOR CHILDREN FROM TOBACCO

Joins Government Officials and Public Health Organizations In Support of Federal Legislation

Neptune, NJ - Calling tobacco a "significant pediatric issue," Dr. Steven Kairys joined the call to support HR. 1108 -- pending federal legislation that would place greater marketing restrictions on cigarette companies and grants authority to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over tobacco.

Dr. Kairys is the Chairman of the Pediatrics Department at the K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and also serves as the Director of the New Jersey Pediatric Council on Research and Education. U.S. Representative Frank Pallone (R-NJ) is a cosponsor of HR 1108 and is Chairman of the House Health Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the legislation. He will play a key role in ensuring that the bill comes before the committee this fall.

Dr. Kairys' comments came during a forum discussion held at Jersey Shore on September 4. Other speakers were Assembly Representative Steven Coredemus; Department of Health and Senior Services Commissioner Fred Jacobs, M.D.; State Senator Joseph Vitale; Peter Slocum (American Cancer Society); and Mary Pat Angelini (Prevention First).

All of the speakers agreed that tobacco needs to be placed under the authority of the U.S. FDA. An exhibit at the forum compared some FDA-regulated products, such as a box of macaroni and cheese and a tube of lipstick, to cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. Despite their well-known health hazards, tobacco products are exempt from basic federal health regulations.

Dr. Kairys, one of the state's leading pediatricians, noted that children often start their exposure to smoke and nicotine even before birth. "Babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy have lower birth weights and four times the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome," said Dr. Kairys. "Since lungs are still developing through childhood and adolescence, exposure to first- and second-hand cigarette smoke leads to increased risk of pneumonia, asthma, ear infections and other problems." Dr. Kairys stressed the need to keep tobacco away from children, noting that 90% of adult smokers started their addictions before the age of 19.

Assemblyman Corodemus (R-Monmouth), a former smoker, said he fully supports Pallone's efforts and that "keeping tobacco away from our kids is a job too big for our schools and parents to do by themselves; it's time for government to step up to the plate and help our families."

In endorsing H.R. 1108, Commissioner Jacobs noted that it could have a real impact in terms of lowering smoking-related healthcare costs. "In New Jersey alone, we spend $3.17 billion on health care costs directly caused by smoking, and 11,300 people die from tobacco each year." Commissioner Jacobs went on to say, "They're not just statistics. They are our moms and dads, our brothers and sisters, our grandmas and grandpas, our friends and the people we work with. These are real people that tobacco has taken from us. It's time to stop the special protections for the tobacco industry, and extend more protections to our children."

Following the passage of numerous tobacco control bills in New Jersey, including the Indoor Air Quality Act, State Senator Vitale urged that more must be done to protect children from the subversive marketing tactics employed by Big Tobacco. The Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee Chairman said: "We need the Federal Government to step in and get these products, such as flavored cigarettes, off the shelves and out of the hands of teens. These products prey on teens and introduce them to a lifetime of smoking and all the health problems that follow."

The long-time executive director of Prevention First, Mary Pat Angelini, gave an impassioned speech by stating "the tobacco industry is targeting our kids and as a mother, grandmother and preventionist, I am not going to take this lying down."

"Representative Pallone still has a critical role to play in ensuring that strong FDA tobacco regulation is enacted into law," said Peter Slocum of the American Cancer Society. "We appreciate his hard work to get this bill passed and on the President's desk."

K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital -- the first children's hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties -- is located at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, a member of the Meridian Health family. A not-for-profit university teaching medical center, Jersey Shore is the regional provider of cardiac surgery, a program that has been ranked among the best in the Northeast, and is home to the region's only trauma center. Jersey Shore University Medical Center specializes in cardiac care and surgery, stroke intervention and care, orthopedics and rehabilitation, cancer care, and advanced women's and children's health services. For more information on Meridian's advanced cardiac services or a referral to a Meridian cardiologist, please call 1-800-560-9990 or visit www.meridianhealth.com.

####