United Community Heath Center News

United Community Health Center to participate in 33rd Great American Smokeout with “Walk-in to Quit” day


The Best Time to Quit Tobacco Use is Now

Thursday, November 20, is the 33rd Great American Smokeout, and United Community Health Center in Storm Lake is providing free resources to help smokers “Walk-in to Quit.”

If you use tobacco, make a plan and set the Great American Smokeout, November 20, 2008, as your quit date. UCHC is offering walk-in appointments between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. for new Tobacco Cessation patients including an “I Wanna Quit Kit.”

Tobacco users will be able to speak with a licensed healthcare professional and receive free, confidential counseling and popular cessation medications as part of the locally exclusive Tobacco Cessation Program at the United Community Health Center. The tobacco cessation program at UCHC is financially sponsored by the Iowa Public Health Grant.

To participate on November 20 in the Tobacco Cessation Program at UCHC – anyone wanting to quit tobacco use, including smoking, chewing or pipe tobacco, should “Walk-in to Quit” at the Health Center – located at 630 Ontario Street, Storm Lake – between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Appointments will be available on a first come, first serve basis with healthcare professional, Linda McClintock, licensed nurse practitioner.

The Tobacco Cessation Program at United Community Health Center is available everyday, however on Thursday, November 20 new patients will not need an appointment and the first 20 new participants will receive the “I Wanna Quit Kit” – a goodie bag with things like chewing gum, a new toothbrush, and a $5 gas card in recognition of this years’ Great American Smoke Out.

The Great American Smokeout was inaugurated in 1976 by the American Cancer Society to inspire and encourage smokers to quit for one day with the hope that they may quit for good. Now, 44.2 percent of the 45.3 million Americans who smoke have attempted to quit for at least one day in the past year, and the Great American Smokeout remains a great opportunity to encourage people to commit to making a long-term plan to quit for good.

Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States. Each year, smoking accounts for an estimated 438,000 premature deaths, including 38,000 deaths among nonsmokers as a result of secondhand smoke. Half of all Americans who continue to smoke will die from smoking-related diseases.

Also imperative in this effort to encourage people to quit smoking are smoke-free laws and higher tobacco taxes which make it harder for people to smoke, and protect nonsmokers from tobacco smoke. The majority of U.S. communities are now covered by smoke-free laws, while forty-three states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have raised tobacco taxes since 2000. Smokers nationwide now face an average cost of $4.32 for one pack of cigarettes, not including all taxes. The rising cost of living is also affecting smokers, as the cost of cigarettes presents an even greater burden. Smoke-free workplace laws and other tobacco control legislation help protect Americans from secondhand smoke and encourage smokers to quit.

United Community Health Center is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through education, advocacy and service. It is the mission of the United Community Health Center to provide comprehensive primary care services to anyone, including those with health insurance and the uninsured, underinsured and underserved.