{"id":16371,"date":"2025-11-21T16:56:28","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T21:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=16371"},"modified":"2025-11-21T16:56:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T21:56:28","slug":"crater-health-district-encourages-community-to-call-it-quits","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/archived-news-releases\/2025-regional-news-releases\/crater-health-district-encourages-community-to-call-it-quits\/","title":{"rendered":"Crater Health District Encourages Community to Call it Quits"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>November 20, 2025<\/p>\n<p><strong>Media Contact:<\/strong> Tara Rose, <a href=\"mailto:Tara.Rose@vdh.virginia.gov\">Tara.Rose@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Crater Health District Encourages Community to Call it Quits<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>The Great American Smokeout is November 20<\/em><\/p>\n<p>PETERSBURG, Va. \u2013Smoking remains the single largest preventable cause of death and disease in the nation, according to the Virginia Department of Health\u2019s (VDH) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/tobacco-free-living\/tobacco-use-control-project-tucp\/\">Tobacco Control Program<\/a>. The Crater Health District (CHD) says the annual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/cancer\/risk-prevention\/tobacco\/great-american-smokeout.html\">Great American Smokeout<\/a> on November 20 is the perfect time to quit.<\/p>\n<p>November is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lung.org\/lung-force\/about-lung-force\/featured-campaigns\/lung-cancer-awareness-month\">Lung Cancer Awareness Month<\/a>. More people, both men and women, in the United States die from <a href=\"https:\/\/gis.cdc.gov\/Cancer\/USCS\/#\/special-topic\/demographics?datatype=1&amp;cancer=61&amp;indicator=value&amp;timeperiod=1&amp;sexes=1_2_3&amp;races=1&amp;ages=23&amp;tab=2&amp;view=chart&amp;xaxis=sexes\">lung cancer<\/a> than any other type of cancer according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, responsible for approximately 85% of all cases.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Great American Smokeout is a powerful reminder that quitting smoking is one of the best decisions you can make for your health, said Crater Health District Director Alton Hart, Jr., MD, MPH, MDiv. \u201cEvery smoke-free day is a success, and local programs are here to help people find the tools and confidence they need to quit for good. Together, we can build a stronger, healthier community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The desire for a healthier, smoke-free life is the first step. Some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/tobacco\/about\/benefits-of-quitting.html\">benefits of quitting<\/a> include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Improves health status and enhances quality of life.<\/li>\n<li>Reduces the risk of premature death and can add years to life expectancy.<\/li>\n<li>Reduces the risk for many adverse health effects.<\/li>\n<li>Reduces financial burden of those who smoke.<\/li>\n<li>Benefits people already diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancer, and poor reproductive health outcomes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Crater Health District has several resources to help guide you or a loved one in quitting:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/09\/3-WaystoQuit_FactSheet2024Link-1.pdf\">Ways to Quit Smoking<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/09\/12-Help-QuitQuitNowFactSheet2024Link-1.pdf\">How to Help People Quit<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/09\/10-MedicartionQuitNowFactSheet2024Link-1.pdf\">Medications to Help Quit Tobacco and Nicotine<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/09\/2-SmokingStressQuitNowFactSheet2024Link-1.pdf\">Tobacco and Stress<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/09\/1-E-cigarettes-QuitNowFactSheet2024Link-1.pdf\">E-cigarettes<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Quitting isn\u2019t easy. Statistics show that most people make multiple attempts to quit. These <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/tobacco\/about\/how-to-quit.html\">tools and strategies<\/a> can help you make the important change.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Give yourself time.<\/strong> You don\u2019t have to stop smoking in one day. It\u2019s a journey.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Have a plan.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/quitnowvirginia.org\/\">Quit Now Virginia<\/a> can help you make a plan. It\u2019s free to all Virginians 13 and older.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Seek support.<\/strong> Share your story and your goals with friends and family. Look for local or online support groups.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Talk to your doctor.<\/strong> Prescription medications may be available to help you quit for good.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/quitnowvirginia.org\/\">Quit Now Virginia<\/a> is a statewide service for those who want to quit smoking or using smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, or vapes. Clients can receive one-on-one coaching sessions by phone, chat, or text, as well as group coaching. Virginia tobacco and nicotine users interested in quitting their addiction can contact Quit Now Virginia at 1-800-Quit Now (1-800-784-8669) or at <a href=\"https:\/\/quitnowvirginia.org\/\">quitnowvirginia.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For more assistance, contact Crater Health District directly at 804-863-1652 or visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/crater\/\">Crater Health District<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"># # #<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>November 20, 2025 Media Contact: Tara Rose, Tara.Rose@vdh.virginia.gov Crater Health District Encourages Community to Call it Quits The Great American Smokeout is November 20 PETERSBURG, Va. \u2013Smoking remains the single largest preventable cause of death and disease in the nation, according to the Virginia Department of Health\u2019s (VDH) Tobacco Control Program. The Crater Health District [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":258,"featured_media":0,"parent":12292,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[372,756,752,757],"class_list":["post-16371","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-crater-health-district","tag-lung-cancer-awareness-month","tag-quit-now-virginia","tag-the-great-american-smokeout"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Crater Health District Encourages Community to Call it Quits - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/archived-news-releases\/2025-regional-news-releases\/crater-health-district-encourages-community-to-call-it-quits\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Crater Health District Encourages Community to Call it Quits - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"November 20, 2025 Media Contact: Tara Rose, Tara.Rose@vdh.virginia.gov Crater Health District Encourages Community to Call it Quits The Great American Smokeout is November 20 PETERSBURG, Va. \u2013Smoking remains the single largest preventable cause of death and disease in the nation, according to the Virginia Department of Health\u2019s (VDH) Tobacco Control Program. 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