Baton Rouge, LA – The American
Cancer Society has dubbed the third Thursday of every November as ‘The Great
American Smokeout.’ Smokers are encouraged to use the date, which is November
17 this year, to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking on
that day.
In honor of this national
event, the Southern University Ag Center’s Communities of Color Network (CoC)
will host activities in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport. (All events
are free and will be held on November 17.)
Baton
Rouge
Southern University students,
faculty, staff and the Baton Rouge community are invited to attend the CoC’s
Great American Smokeout event from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Fisher Hall on the
Southern University Baton Rouge campus.
The event will feature a seminar
that will address the benefits of quitting smoking for the day with the hopes
of quitting for good and a booth display that will provide attendees with an
opportunity to enroll in smoking cessation programs. The Southern University
Intramural Sports Department will also be on hand to get participants to
substitute the butts and move to the
beat of healthy living.
A “smoke out” of
refreshments will be served off the grill to include: hamburgers, sausages, and
hot dogs. Participants will also receive
collaterals with no smoking messages.
The CoC will also host a
cessation presentation at the Bethesda Rehab Outpatient, 7222 Bluebonnet. The
event, which will be held from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., will also provide individuals
with cessation resources to help them stop smoking and a demonstration on the
harmful impact of tobacco on the body.
For additional information
on these events, contact Linda Brown or Frankie Poland at 225-771-2242.
New
Orleans
The CoC Network invites
residents of New Orleans to exchange their cigarettes for a “cold turkey” sandwich.
Quit “cold turkey!”
During this event, which
will be held from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on the Southern University New Orleans (SUNO)
campus - 6400 Press Drive, people who visit the informational site will receive
vital information that can save a life. They will exchange their cigarettes for
“cold turkey” sandwiches to quit for the day.
The CoC’s staff and volunteers will also provide
smoking cessation incentives, as well as, information about heart and vascular
health. A booth display will be
available to ensure individuals receive resources for cessation and information
regarding the dangers of tobacco.
For additional
information, contact Hendrix Broussard at 504-736-6519.
Shreveport
Southern University at Shreveport
(SUSLA) students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in an evening of
smoke-free fun. The CoC will host if Shreveport Great American Smokeout event from
4 p.m. – 6 p.m. at the Shreveport Job Corps, 2815 Lillian Street. The event
will feature a Bingo style game called, “What’s in Tobacco,” and a Cessation
Workshop. Participants will also have an opportunity to visit a Secondhand
Smoke Display and enroll in the smoking cessation trust.
For additional
information, contact Urina Holt at, 318-670-9633.
“As an agent of change,
Southern University Ag Center’s Communities of Color Network is ecstatic at the
opportunity to mobilize our team and utilize our resources, to save lives through
educational awareness activities that will permanently make a difference in the
lives of our constituents statewide, especially as we celebrate Great American
Smokeout Day,” Linda Early Brown, Director of the Communities of Color Network.
About 40 million
Americans still smoke cigarettes, and tobacco use remains the single largest
preventable cause of disease and premature death in the world. While cigarette
smoking rates have dropped (from 42% in 1965 to 17% in 2014), cigar, pipe, and
hookah – as well as other dangerous and addictive ways to smoke tobacco – are
very much on the rise. Smoking kills people – there’s no “safe” way to smoke
tobacco.
Quitting smoking has
immediate and long-term benefits at any age. Quitting is hard, but individuals can increase their chances of success with help. Getting
help through counseling or medications can double or triple the chances of
quitting successfully. By quitting – even for 1 day – smokers will be taking an
important step toward a healthier life and reducing their cancer risk.
CoC is an affiliate of
the Louisiana Public Health Institute/The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free
Living. The network provides support and technical assistance to
African-American communities to ensure that they are well-informed about the
dangers of tobacco, and understand how to protect themselves from unhealthy
exposure.
Its mission is to
eliminate health inequalities caused by or related to tobacco use among
Louisiana communities of color by building coalitions, increasing awareness of
the dangers of tobacco, and reducing tobacco consumption and secondhand smoke
exposure.
For additional
information about the Communities of Color Network, contact Linda Early Brown at
225.771.2242.
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