NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10 , 2008

St. Nicholas Hospital Celebrates 33rd Great American Smokeout

Sheboygan, Wis. --According to the Wisconsin Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, each year, approximately 14% of all deaths in Sheboygan County are directly attributable to smoking.

In effort to help the people in our community quit smoking, St. Nicholas Hospital offers a Freedom from Smoking program.

Tim Cunningham from Sheboygan, WI , knows firsthand the benefits of the Freedom from Smoking program. "I wanted a healthier lifestyle and to be with my children when they got older," says Cunningham. "I signed up for the Freedom from Smoking program and shared the information with my wife, who was also a smoker. Within two and a half weeks we were smoke-free and have been smoke-free for more than a year and a half," Cunningham added.

"A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that social networks are helpful in quitting smoking," said Ellen Platz, RN, BSN, Freedom From Smoking Facilitator, St. Nicholas Hospital. "Friends and family can help the most by being aware and supportive of the challenge to quit, and St. Nicholas Hospital has resources to help them show support for their loved one who is trying to quit," said Platz.

On November 19, the eve of the Great American Smokeout, St. Nicholas Hospital is offering a free Freedom from Smoking Preview Night from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Francis Room at the Hospital.

Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States. Half of all Americans who continue to smoke will die from smoking-related diseases. For free information and materials visit www.tobwis.org.

About St. Nicholas Hospital
St. Nicholas Hospital is a non-profit hospital sponsored by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis located at 3100 Superior Avenue, Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Their mission and vision is to provide family-centered, compassionate care without regard for race, creed, or ability to pay. This is achieved through the core values of respect, care, competence, and joy.

To learn more, visit www.stnicholashospital.org .

CONTACT: Xue Yang
Marketing Assistant
St. Nicholas Hospital
3100 Superior Avenue
Sheboygan , WI 53081
920-459-4739
xyang@sns.hshs.org

 

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