Williams speaks at ‘Race to Quit, NC!’ kickoff

The statewide kickoff for the ‘Race to Quit, NC!’ Campaign launched in October at the E. Harvey Estes Conference Center in Durham. More than 50 patient and provider groups, health care systems, local health leaders and nonprofits, as well as the DHHS Division of Public Health, Tobacco Prevention & Control Branch are partnering to promote a suite of services to help tobacco users quit the habit and remain tobacco free.  

“Thank you to the partners for using your talents and being available to our citizens,” said DHHS Deputy Secretary for Health Services Randall Williams, M.D. “These types of collaborations and initiatives are so vital for the health and well-being of our fellow North Carolinians.”

Williams added that the Race to Quit campaign focuses on making tobacco users who want to quit aware of the many resources available to them and helping them feel they are supported. “We want everyone to know that there is help. In the race to quit, no one needs to race alone,” Williams added.

One out of every five adults in North Carolina is a smoker, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This means that tobacco use is still well above the national average in our state. In addition, only about 4 percent to 7 percent of people are able to quit smoking on any given attempt without medicines or other help, according to the American Cancer Society. The goal of Race to Quit is to connect smokers with the support they need to cross the finish line to a smoke-free life.

For a list of Race to Quit, NC partners and to access their quit-smoking resources, visit: http://www.ncallianceforhealth.org/race-to-quit-nc/ .  

– Scott Coleman