The Coastal Health District and Long County Health Department have partnered with the Long County Family Connection Partnership’s Youth Advisory Council to launch a campaign aimed at preventing tobacco use throughout the county.
The “Addicted to Living, Committed to Quitting” campaign is designed to get the word out about the adverse health consequences of tobacco use and to share information on how to quit.
Long County, the county with the highest rate of lung-cancer deaths in the Coastal Health District, was chosen by the State Tobacco Use Prevention Program to participate in the Tobacco-Related Health Disparities Project.
The purpose of the project is to build a Long County-specific tobacco-prevention movement that will identify people at high risk for tobacco use and offer the community tobacco prevention and cessation resources, coordinators said.
The campaign announcement coincided with Kick Butts Day 2011, a national day of activism that empowers youth to speak up and take action against tobacco usage.
“We are launching a media campaign to make Long County residents aware of the dangers of tobacco and to encourage them to use the resources at their disposal to help them quit,” said Cristina Gibson, director of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention for the Coastal Health District. “We are very hopeful that we can make a positive difference in the lives of those who live in Long County.”
Members of the Long County Youth Advisory Council helped create messages for the tobacco-free movement that will be featured throughout the campaign.
To support this effort, the Long County Health Department will offer free monthly Fresh Start smoking-cessation classes in April.
Also, while supplies last, uninsured residents in the Coastal Health District (including Long County residents) are eligible for a free 30-day supply of either nicotine patches or gum.
For more information on the campaign or scheduled smoking-cessation classes, go to www.gachd.org/long and click on the appropriate links under “Long County Health Department Information.”