Fort Knox MEDDAC Prepares for the Great American Smoke Out

Photo By Maj. Sara Morris | Fort Knox MEDDAC Public Health Nurses hosted tables at the Exchange and Patriot Commons to encourage smokers to quit, and sign the pledge.  

FORT KNOX, KY, UNITED STATES

11.15.2021

Story by Sara Morris 

Fort Knox MEDDAC

Are you a smoker, who has been thinking about quitting? Quitting takes time and a plan, if you’re looking for more information on how to quit, come see us for the Great American Smoke Out, November 19th, at the Fort Knox Exchange, or Patriot Commons between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

The Great American Smoke out event occurs annually to encourage and challenge people to quit tobacco today or to make a plan to quit. The event provides many tools and resources to help people quit tobacco for good.

The first official Great American Smoke out took place in 1976, when the American Cancer Society got nearly one million people to quit tobacco for the day. The idea evolved from a smaller event that occurred in Massachusetts in 1970, where people were challenged to give up tobacco for a day and donate the money to a local high school fund.

The American Cancer Society states, “About 34 million American adults still smoke cigarettes, and smoking remains the single largest preventable cause of death and illness in the world. Smoking causes an estimated 480,000 deaths every year, or about 1 in 5 deaths.”

Army Public Health Nursing provides a Tobacco Cessation program for active duty military, Tricare beneficiaries, and DoD civilians. If you are interested in participating in the Tobacco Cessation program, call 502-624-6236 or 502-624-6317 to set up an appointment.

There are many ways to participate in this event.
- pledge to quit tobacco for the day or plan a quit date
- encouragement and support family & friends that want to quit
- volunteer or donate to American cancer society
- raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco
- educate young people about tobacco, e-cigs, and vaping dangers
- participate in anti-smoking and tobacco prevention campaigns
- sign up for Smokefree.gov apps

Quitting tobacco is hard but APHN has resources to make it easier so you can be successful. You can also visit www.ucanquit2.org to learn more about quitting tobacco.

• Date Taken: 11.15.2021
• Date Posted: 11.15.2021 13:33
• Story ID: 409330
• Location: FORT KNOX, KY, US
• Hometown: FORT KNOX, KY, US