JBSA to host Great American Smokeout events

  • Published
  • By David DeKunder
  • Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas --  Activities encouraging smokers to give up smoking and end their addiction to tobacco will be held throughout Joint Base San Antonio Nov. 16-18 for the Great American Smokeout, an annual event sponsored by the American Cancer Society.

Brooke Army Medical Center Health Promotion and BAMC Pulmonary Clinic at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston will host the Great American Smokeout from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 17 at the BAMC Medical Mall.

Stephanie Soileau, Army Public Health Nursing BAMC Health Promotion director, said the event will include demonstrations of artificial lungs dyed black to represent what smoking does to the lungs, models of lungs with tar accumulation and information on programs and resources to help smokers kick the habit and carbon monoxide breath screening for smokers.

Smokers at the event will learn and pick up information about the monthly smoking cessation classes held at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston. The four-week class is held from 12:30-2 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Individuals who sign up for the smoking cessation class will have a chance to win a turkey, to signify going “cold turkey” to quit smoking. The turkeys are being donated by the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Commissary.

Soileau said the smoking cessation class covers several topics on smoking and health.

“We cover stress, nutrition, the importance of exercise, medications that can help smokers, the benefits of quitting smoking, the long term-risks of continuing to smoke and second-hand smoke,” she said.

The smoking cessation class includes information on resources and a starter pack to help smokers quit.

Smokers who complete the class can come in for follow-up visits with BAMC Health Promotion to assess how they are progressing in their effort to quit smoking. Class participants have access to nicotine replacement therapy, in which Soileau can prescribe medication to assist smokers in quitting.

For information on and to sign up for the smoking cessation class, contact BAMC Health Promotion at 916-7646.

JBSA-Lackland Health Promotions will be handing out information on resources and services available throughout JBSA to active-duty members, military family members, retirees and Department of Defense civilians who want to give up smoking at the diabetes health fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 16 in the Wilford Hall Atrium.

Claudia Holtz, JBSA-Lackland Health Promotions Program manager, said anyone who comes by the Health Promotions table at the fair will have a chance to win a door prize.

Holtz said the resources available at JBSA-Lackland for smokers include one-on-one counseling through the Behavior Health Optimization Program, in which individuals can be referred to the program through a health provider.

JBSA-Lackland Health Promotions provides information about awareness on the health risks of smoking, including symptoms and nutritional behaviors, and other alternatives to smoking that are just as addictive, including e-cigarettes, said Holtz.

At JBSA-Randolph, Great American Smokeout activities will be held during a two-day period.

On Nov. 17, someone dressed in a cigarette costume will go to smoking areas around JBSA-Randolph and give out information to smokers encouraging them to “Quit Like A Champion,” said Aracelis Gonzalez-Anderson, JBSA-Randolph Health Promotions coordinator.

During the Turkey Trot, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 18 at the JBSA-Randolph Rambler Fitness Center track, Health Promotions will have a table at the event with information and handouts. Also, individuals can put in their names to win a turkey.

“You win in so many ways when you ‘Quit Like A Champion,’ for yourself, your family and all those around you,” Gonzalez-Anderson said. “We are encouraging people to be champions with their healthcare and quitting smoking is one of those that makes them a champ.”

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 40 million adults in the U.S. still smoke and the tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the U.S.

Every year more than 480,000 Americans die from illnesses attributed to tobacco use, causing 1 in 5 deaths in the U.S., says the American Cancer Society. Smoking is linked to about 30 percent of all cancer deaths in the U.S., including 80 percent of all lung cancer deaths. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women.
Contact numbers for JBSA tobacco cessation programs include BAMC Health Promotion Center, 916-7646; BAMC Pulmonary Clinic, 916-0945/2153; Lackland Health Psychology, 292-5968; and Randolph Tobacco Cessation Program, 652-2300, option 1.