Partner PRESS RELEASES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Download this press release here
Date: September 17, 2015
Contact: Katie Morgan| (202) 470-‐5362| katiemorgan@rational360.com
DC Tobacco Free Coalition, DC Department of Health and more than 40 local partners to host DC Calls It Quits! Week
Public Health Campaign will inform DC residents about the importance of smoking cessation
WASHINGTON, DC – During the week of Sept. 21-‐25, 2015, the DC Tobacco Free Coalition and the DC Department of Health will partner with more than 40 local organizations in the District of Columbia to sponsor DC Calls It Quits! Week, a public awareness campaign aimed at informing residents about the importance of quitting smoking.
“Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the U.S., and smoking kills more than 700 District of Columbia residents each year, as well as leads to a significant decline in quality of life,” says Charles Debnam, Chair of the DC Tobacco Free Coalition. “More than 14 percent of adults in Washington, DC are smokers. Our main goal is to educate and inform residents about the resources available to help them quit. Studies have shown that calls to local Quitlines increase by 50 percent immediately following a successful public awareness campaign, which is why we have teamed up with the DC Department of Health and more than 40 supporting partners to make DC Calls It Quits! Week a truly impactful event that will reach every part of the city.”
DC Calls It Quits! Week begins with an official kick-‐off press conference on Monday, Sept. 21, at 11:00am ET, where local residents, advocates and campaign partners will come together to hear speakers from local government, the DC Department of Health, hospitals and patient-‐focused health organizations discuss why smoking cessation is such an important issue for the city. The campaign will conclude on Friday, Sept. 25, with an educational summit at Howard University. To learn more about all community events taking place during DC Calls It Quits! Week, please visit the event
calendar here.
WHAT: DC Calls It Quits! Week Official Press Conference
WHEN: Monday, Sept. 21, 2015, at 11:00am ET
WHERE: Old City Council Chambers One Judiciary Square
441 4th Street, NW
First Floor South
WHO: Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, Director of the DC Department of Health; Dr. Elmer Huerta, Director of the Cancer Preventorium, a division of the Washington Cancer Institute at MedStar Washington Hospital Center; Local Government and patient-‐focused organizations
“Nearly seven in ten adult smokers would like to quit smoking, and more than 61 percent of DC smokers have made an attempt to quit in the last year,” says Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, Director of the DC Department of Health. “Many District smokers are unaware of the smoking cessation treatments and services available to help them quit. I encourage all residents who smoke to call the DC Quitline – 1 (800) QUIT NOW (784-‐8669) – which provides smoking cessation services, including counseling sessions with certified tobacco treatment specialists, free nicotine patches and a local number for Spanish-speaking residents.”
You can also join the conversation on Twitter using#DCQuits.
About the DC Tobacco Free Coalition
The DC Tobacco Free Coalition (DCTFC) is an alliance of community-‐based and national public health organizations working together to educate the District of Columbia about the harmful effects of tobacco and secondhand smoke. The Coalition's mission is to improve health and protect lives in
the nation's capital, by decreasing tobacco use and exposure through education, advocacy and public policy.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Download this press release here
Summit to Help DC Smokers Quit Announced for Sept. 25
DC Tobacco Free Coalition Event Coincides with ‘DC Calls It Quits Week’ #DCQUITS
WASHINGTON - The Howard University Cancer Center will host the “DC Calls It Quits: DC Tobacco Control Summit” on Friday, Sept. 25, at the Armour J. Blackburn Center, 2397 Sixth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20059. The DC anti-smoking summit will bring together more than 100 health officials and doctors, lawmakers and community leaders to discuss policy approaches that raise awareness of the importance of quitting smoking.
During the anti-smoking summit, lawmakers, tobacco control advocates, practitioners and others will forge and strengthen new and existing partnerships. The focus of the summit’s activities will be to strengthen community partnerships and anti-smoking initiatives, reduce health disparities and update housing policies related to tobacco control. To attend, register here.
“We are proud to join with the DC Department of health as part of the DC Calls It Quits Week campaign from September 21-25,” said Dr. Carla Williams, interim director of the Howard University Cancer Center. “Quitting smoking is critical to protecting the health and addressing public health disparities among DC residents.”
The event is being held as part of the “DC Calls It Quits Week,” a broad-based public health awareness campaign on smoking cessation, Sept. 21-25. The campaign is spearheaded by the District of Columbia Tobacco Free Coalition and the District of Columbia Department of Health (DOHDC). More than 40 local healthcare organizations, businesses and civic leaders are participating in events throughout the District.
Summit sponsors include the DC Tobacco Free Coalition, with contributions from the American Cancer Society-Cancer Action Network; the American Heart Association, the Howard University Cancer Center, Breathe DC, the Community Wellness Alliance, the DC Department of Health, American Lung Association in DC and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.
“The DC Tobacco Free Coalition is very proud to be a partner in the DC Calls it Quits Week, September 21-25,” said Charles Debnam, chairman of the DC Tobacco Free Coalition. “We support people wanting to quit the use of tobacco. This summit and campaign will bring awareness and education to the services the District provides around tobacco control and the free resources like the DC quit-line, 1-800-Quit-Now.”
To help smokers quit for good, the District of Columbia offers the DC quit-line – 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) – with services including counseling sessions with certified tobacco treatment specialists, free nicotine patches and a local number for Spanish-speaking residents.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognizes tobacco dependence as a chronic disease that often requires repeated intervention and multiple attempts to quit. Nearly seven in 10 adult smokers would like to quit smoking, and over 61 percent of DC smokers have made an attempt to quit in the last year. Of the 42.1 million people in the United States who smoke cigarettes, only 5 percent are able to quit without assistance from healthcare providers.
For more information on “DC Calls it QuitsWeek”, visit http://www.dctfc.org/dc-calls-it-quits/
