March 31, 2016
For More Information Contact:
- Kathryn Whitestone, 434-972-6244
- Thomas Jefferson Health District, Health Educator
(Charlottesville, Va.) — A free weekly support group to help people quit smoking will begin on Thursday, April 7, in Louisa County. Quit Smoking Louisa will help participants learn and experience different quitting strategies, such as nicotine replacement therapy, acupuncture, nutrition, and stress management. Classes will meet every Thursday, 5 to 6 p.m., from April 7 through May 26, in the Betty J. Queen Intergenerational Center located at 522 Industrial Drive, Louisa, VA 23093. The program is free and registration is not required.
Nearly 80% of adult smokers in Louisa County reported they attempted to quit smoking within the past twelve months in 2011-12, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. “We hope that these classes will encourage and help people successfully quit smoking” says Kathryn Whitestone, Thomas Jefferson Health District (TJHD) Health Educator. “Our health district has an active Tobacco-Free Community Coalition committed to helping residents in the Greater Charlottesville area improve their quality of life without cigarettes by offering free support groups and personalized smoking cessation programs.”
The American Lung Association’s 2016 State of Tobacco Control Report evaluated and graded states based on four categories: tobacco prevention and control program funding, tobacco taxes, smokefree air, and access to cessation services. Virginia is one of only eight states to receive an F in all four categories. In an effort to combat a lack of cessation services, Quit Smoking Charlottesville and Quit Smoking Louisa offer free support groups every fall and spring to help community members quit smoking.
Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and death in the U.S., yet an estimated 42 million Americans still smoke. For more information about smoking cessation services, call the Charlottesville/Albemarle Health Department at 434-972-6244 or visit www.tjhd.org.