Doctors honored for statewide smoke-free efforts

By Joe Menden of Montana Lee Newspapers - 12/23/2008

HELENA — A coalition of health organizations honored two Helena doctors Monday, saying their work has helped lead to states and countries around the world acting to ban smoking in public buildings.

Dr. Robert Shepard and Dr. Richard Sargent were honored for their work by Protect Montana Kids, a coalition of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association of the Northern Rockies.

Sargent and Shepard were instrumental in passing Helena's Clean Indoor Air Ordinance in 2002.

They also conducted a study that found that Helena's heart attack rate dropped 40 percent for the period when the ordinance was in effect and rose back to previous rates when the ban was later overturned.

Shepard, who has been involved in tobacco-related issues since he helped institute a smoke-free policy at St. Peter's Hospital in the early 1980s, said getting the award was a nice surprise, but also a bit embarrassing because neither he nor Sargent got involved in the cause for recognition.

"Dr. Sargent and I have been actively involved in smoke-free issues for a long, long time," Shepard said. "Our primary motivator was always to do something good for the community. We were honored. We were surprised to get the award. I think we've made a very valuable contribution." Kristin Page-Nei, Montana government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said Sargent and Shepard's study was a major reason cities, states and countries around the world have instituted their own anti-smoking legislation in subsequent years. She said that Ireland instituted its legislation shortly after the Helena study was released, citing the study as one of the major reasons for the decision.

"(Shepard and Sargent's) research was the tipping point," Page-Nei said. "It's just amazing how much work these two family practitioners have done to save lives. It's pretty incredible the impact two family doctors from Montana can have." The two have also spoken in favor of smoking legislation in dozens of places around the country where such laws were under consideration, she added.

Since Sargent and Shepard's study, 13 other studies have replicated their work in places where bans have been instituted, including New York state, Ireland and Rome.

Page-Nei added that the Institute of Medicine of the United States National Academies announced last month that it is doing a special study of all the studies.

She acknowledged that the timing of the presentation — coming just before the start of the 2009 legislative session — was also a factor in the announcement.

"There are some criticisms of the study," Page-Nei said. "We felt this would be a good time to point out where the flaws in the criticism are." Features editor Joe Menden: 447-4087 or joe.menden@helenair.com