Great American Smokeout is Tomorrow | Community Spirit

November 17th is the 36th annual American Cancer Society (ACS) Great American Smokeout, and the Shelby Health Department urges smokers to quit.

The Great American Smokeout is an annual event, encouraging smokers to quit for a day in the hope they may quit for good.  Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States, including 38,000 deaths among as a result of secondhand smoke.

Tennessee offers a FREE Tobacco QuitLine program.  The program is a toll-free telephone service that provides personalized support for Tennesseans who want to quit smoking or chewing tobacco.  Caller to the QuitLine are assigned a personal coach who can help callers understand how to quit tobacco use.  The program is free to all Tennessee residents who want to quit smoking.  The QuitLine number is 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).

The Shelby County Health Department and Tennessee Cancer Coalition will hold a smokeout survival station from 11 am - 2:30 pm at:

Memphis VA Medical Center
1030 Jefferson Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104

At the smokeout survival station smokers will get a “quit kit” that contains items that will help them cope with cravings throughout the day.  Smokers are also given brief one-on-one smoking cessation counseling.  The kits will also be distributed at four Walgreens Pharmacy locations across the city from 11 am - 2 pm and from 4 pm - 6 pm.  Those locations are:

- Ike's (Walgreens Pharmacy) 2145 Union Ave.
- 3670 Riverdale Rd
- 2655 Frayser Blvd
- 6980 E. Holmes Rd

For more information about the Great American Smokeout events, the Shelby County Health Department at 901-222-9273.

Information provided by the Shelby County Health Department.  Image provided by the American Cancer Society website.