Home > News Room > Take the tobacco-free pledge for Thursday's Great American Smokeout

Take the tobacco-free pledge for Thursday's Great American Smokeout

Buffalo, NY – Community leaders and health advocates in Niagara Falls are encouraging smokers to quit smoking and nonsmokers to invite loved ones to take the tobacco-free pledge on Thursday, Nov. 17 during the Great American Smokeout.®

Those who take the pledge simply commit to quit smoking for 24 hours.  The tobacco-free pledge can be found here.

Memorial Medical Center will commemorate the day by hosting a Great American Smokeout® celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the medical center’s first floor cafeteria at 621 10th St., Niagara Falls.  Community leaders will be on hand to distribute information, answer questions and offer encouragement to those who want to learn more about kicking the smoking habit.

The event will be co-sponsored by the Community Health Center of Niagara, Creating a Healthier Niagara Falls Initiative, Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition, Mount St. Mary’s Hospital, Niagara County Health Department and Tobacco Cessation Center-North.

“This is a great opportunity to offer a wide range of preventative health information to city of Niagara Falls residents with the goal of creating a healthier community,” said Charles Walker, Memorial’s director of community outreach.  Mr. Walker, who also serves on the Niagara Falls City Council, recently led an effort to legislate smoke-free parks in the city.

More Americans try to quit smoking during the Great American Smokeout® than any other day including New Year’s Day, according to the American Cancer Society.

“While the Great American Smokeout® is a great time for smokers to quit, we also encourage communities to quit tobacco by creating smoke-free housing for their
residents, adopting smoke free outdoor air in parks and recreational areas, and reducing tobacco marketing that targets youth in retail stores,” Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition Director Anthony Billoni said.

Tobacco is not a normal consumer product. It causes sickness and death when used exactly as intended by the manufacturer and is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. 

In New York State, tobacco kills more than 25,000 people a year. Niagara County has one of the state’s highest smoking rates at 27.1 percent compared to the statewide rate of 15.5 percent.

“The Great American Smokeout® not only challenges people to stop using tobacco, but raises awareness about the dangers of smoking and the many effective ways available to quit smoking permanently,” said President & CEO Joseph A. Ruffolo of Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, which instituted a smoke-free campus policy in 2008. 

New York State smokers can receive free coaching and tips for quitting by calling the New York State Smokers’ Quitline at 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487) or visiting www.nysmokefree.com.