Great American Smokeout Day: CAI says healthcare providers are key to quitting

Also in late November, Tobacco Companies Will Finally Run TV, Newspapers Ads Taking Full Responsibility of Their Lethal Products

New York, N.Y. – Today, in observance of the Great American Smokeout, the Center of Excellence for Health Systems Improvement (COE for HSI) urges smokers throughout New York State to plan to quit smoking by contacting their health care providers, who will provide them the greatest chance for success in quitting. COE for HSI works with medical and behavioral health systems throughout New York State to establish system wide policies to screen for and treat tobacco dependence.

“The Great American Smokeout Campaign supports our efforts to improve health systems by fully integrating tobacco screening and treatment into standard care delivery at healthcare organizations statewide,” stated COE for HSI Project Director, Michael Graziano. “We continue to believe that health care providers are one of the greatest supports to those who want to quit smoking.”

In addition to their current work as the COE for HSI, CAI served as the tobacco control training center for New York State for ten years —delivering customized trainings to Regional Grantees of the New York State Bureau of Tobacco Control. In a state where more than 28,000 adults die every year due to smoking, CAI trainings have helped New York achieve its goal of reducing the prevalence of cigarette use among adults and adolescents.

An added reason to celebrate the Great American Smokeout is that it takes place the same month as tobacco companies gear up to launch a court mandated ad campaign finally telling the truth about their deadly and addictive products after lying to the American public for decades about the dangers of smoking. The first ads will appear in dozens of major newspapers around the nation on Sunday, November 26 and the first television ads will appear a week later.

For more than 11 years, the tobacco companies have sought to weaken and delay the corrective ad campaign ordered by the court. These ads contain statements about the health dangers of smoking that stem from a landmark lawsuit filed by the U.S Justice Department in 1999 and a landmark judgment issued in 2006 by U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler. Judge Kessler found the tobacco companies guilty of civil racketeering laws and lying about the negative health effects of smoking and their marketing to children.

For more information on CAI’s products and services, please contact Michael Graziano, Project Director for Health Systems Improvement (HSI) at mgraziano@caiglobal.org or (212) 594-7741 X 226.