Join UHS in the Fight Against Tobacco Use

On Wednesday, March 23, the Team Act Cessation Center, located at the UHS Stay Healthy Center in Oakdale Mall, Johnson City, will have a special, tobacco-cessation information table set up to provide materials and resources to those interested in quitting tobacco. In addition, the first 100 people who stop by the booth during the hours of 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. will receive a free, quit tobacco survival kit. Those interested in quitting may also be referred to the New York State Smokers Quitline, which can provide free starter kits with nicotine patches to eligible smokers. The activities are being held to commemorate Kick Butts Day, a day of activism during which children and teens across the nation rally against the tobacco industry.

“While Kick Butts Day is typically recognized as an initiative to prevent youth from starting to use tobacco, it’s also a great time to encourage all tobacco users to try to quit — regardless of their age,” says Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist and Coordinator of the Team Act Cessation Center Wendi Hamm, RN. “One of the most effective ways to prevent our children from using tobacco is to help the adults in their life quit. Tobacco dependence is a chronic disease and people afflicted with it need to know that help is available for them,” she adds.

Statewide, every year:
· 25,500 people die from smoking
· 2,500 people die from secondhand smoke
· 570,000 people are afflicted with a serious disease caused by smoking
· 2,400 New Yorkers under age 18 become new, daily smokers

Kick Butts Day, sponsored by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, is working to change these statistics.