The Tennessee Department of Health joins partners across the state in celebrating the fifth annual Tennessee Quit Week February 3 – 7, 2020. This year’s theme is “Seeing 2020 Tobacco-Free,” and the goal is to inspire Tennesseans to live healthier lives by taking advantage of the state’s free resource, the Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine to quit using tobacco products.
“In Tennessee, 31 lives are lost each day as a direct result of smoking,” said Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, MBA, FAAP. “In addition to these tragic early deaths, tobacco use costs our state upward of six billion dollars each year in lost productivity and health care costs, preventable losses that hurt the prosperity of our state and those who live and work here.”
Tobacco use is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and other chronic diseases. Tennessee Quit Week aims to increase partnerships across the public and private sectors to educate people on the harms of tobacco use and how Tennesseans can work together to help people improve their health and their lives by beating nicotine addiction.
Quitting is hard, but help is available! Tennesseans who use tobacco and are ready to quit can call theTennessee Tobacco QuitLine at 1-800-QUIT-NOWor access web-based services at www.tnquitline.org for free coaching and nicotine replacement patches (if eligible). All services are free to Tennesseans and can double a tobacco user’s chance of quitting successfully.
Pregnant women who smoke are encouraged to contact their local health department to learn about the Baby and Me – Tobacco Free™ program. This program provides education and support to help pregnant women quit smoking, and participants can earn free diapers each month for up to one year. Learn more and find a location near you by visiting www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/fhw/baby-me-tobacco-free.html.