The Voice Box
Voice from Tobacco Prevention and Control in N.C. |
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Volume 2, Issue 4 |
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Inside this Issue |
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ABC World
News Tonight Series - Quit to Live: Fighting Lung Cancer |
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Six N.C.
Hospitals go 100 percent Tobacco Free on Great American Smokeout Day |
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N.C.
Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health
N.C. Department of
Health and Human Services
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ABC World News Tonight
Series - Quit to Live: Fighting Lung Cancer
To honor Peter Jennings, ABC World News
Tonight is dedicating significant air-time to tobacco issues in the
month of November in a series
called "Quit to Live: Fighting Lung Cancer." Programming will include
segments on smoking cessation, tobacco health policy developments and
lung cancer treatment and prevention; two to four such segments will
run each week. In addition, 1-800-QUIT-NOW and www.smokefree.gov will be
mentioned on-air throughout the month.ABC has set up a web site about the series, including broadcast reports of the Quit to Live series, quit tips, a blog on upcoming coverage and other useful information. Go to: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/QuitToLive/.
In addition to the benefits of the national coverage, this is also an opportunity for tobacco control advocates and program managers to contact local ABC affiliates and encourage them to cover the issue. We want to share ideas on stories to pitch to local affiliates and encourage others to share ideas as well. Possible story ideas and hooks for ABC affiliates include the following:
- Pitch stories on your local advocacy priority, including smoke-free public places, tobacco free schools, quitline, etc. Tell the story of what works to keep kids from smoking, help smokers quit and protect everyone from secondhand smoke.
- Help ABC affiliates find and follow local smokers trying to quit.
- Encourage coverage of prevention and cessation programs, including quitlines and counseling, media programs, school and community programs, youth access enforcement, etc. Tell the story of what programs are doing in the most concrete hands-on way possible.
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North Carolina Tobacco Use Quitline Goes to College
<>More than thirty North Carolina colleges and community colleges will participate in the Great American Smokeout on November 17, 2005.North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro will kick off the event with a day long health and wellness festival featuring speakers and exhibitors from over twenty-five health, advocacy and campus organizations. Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue will be present to officially launch the North Carolina Tobacco Use Quitline on college campuses.
Colleges around the state will partner with campus and community organizations to host events and activities including informational sessions, cessation challenges, quit kit distribution, cold turkey lunches, film screenings and Quitline promotion.
More than 60,000 college students will receive blast e-mails from their college presidents or other luminaries announcing the availability of the N.C. Tobacco Use Quitline to all.
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Tracking our Progress on Great American Smokeout Day
One of the national Healthy People 2050 goals is to encourage more quit attempts by adult smokers. For those who currently smoke and want to quit, the Great American Smokeout provides a great opportunity. Quitters will find camaraderie and support on November 17th when thousands of Americans avoid tobacco use for the day or for good. For twenty-eight years, more smokers have kicked the habit during the Great American Smokeout than any other day of the year.
We are thrilled to announce the availability of the North Carolina Tobacco Use Quitline, which became operational November 2, 2005. This free evidence based comprehensive service is available at 1-800-QUIT-NOW and provides effective cessation support for all North Carolinians who want to quit using tobacco. Cessation specialists at the quitline are trained to work with youth and adults, and can arrange to call the participant back at agreed upon times to check on quitting progress and to answer questions. Special protocols are also available for pregnant women and for spit tobacco users. The quitline is available from 8:00 AM to midnight, seven days per week, and is available in multiple languages including Spanish.
This service is co-funded by the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund and the N.C. Division of Public Health. It is an exciting addition to the resources available in North Carolina for tobacco users who want to quit. Dr. Jana Johnson, Medical Director at the Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch is the contract administrator. She can be reached via email or 919-707-5402.
There is no better time to kick nicotine dependence than now.
- More information on the 28th Annual Smokeout, quit plans and helpful tidbits on quitting can be found at www.cancer.org.
- More information on the N.C. Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch can be found at http://www.tobaccopreventionandcontrol.ncdhhs.gov/.
- Tobacco information related to youth can be found at www.stepupnc.org.
- More information on the State Center for Health Statistics and N.C. BRFSS can be found at www.schs.state.nc.us/SCHS/about/programs/brfss/index.html.
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N.C. Warms Up to Cold Turkey! Call
1-800-QUIT-NOW
State and local tobacco control
advocates statewide agree that the Great American Smokeout (GASO) is
the best time to "Talk Turkey" with those who want to quit using
tobacco, as the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF) unveils its
first effort to market North Carolina's brand new Tobacco Use Quitline.
The new Quitline is free to North Carolinians, and is available 8:00 AM
to midnight seven days per week. Trained quit coaches can help tobacco
users of all ages, including those addicted to spit tobacco. Help is
available in Spanish as well as English.
Print ads, posters, brochures, radio PSA scripts and more are available
to programs across the state that want to encourage North Carolinians
to go "cold turkey" -- with a little help from a free expert quit coach.
The new Quitline is sponsored by the HWTF and the N.C. Division of
Public Health (DPH). HWTF will pay for calls made by students and young
adults up to age twenty-four, along with some adults with special
relationships to children and youth. DPH will use CDC funding to pay
for other calls.
Quitline promotional materials will be introduced to the public
beginning on GASO. The materials can be downloaded from the Quitline NC web site.
Most N.C. tobacco prevention and control grantees are holding special
events around GASO. For a listing of these events, go to: www.trutoolkit.com/events/calendar.html.
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Across the state, twenty-nine hospitals have gone tobacco-free campus wide. The six that will implement their new policies on November 17 are:
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If you have feedback or comments please let us know, OR you can contribute your own story about tobacco prevention and control in N.C. Please send to Julie Helsabeck.
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