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Monday, January 17, 2011
Ottawa Public Health
There are hundreds of reasons to quit… What’s yours?

Ottawa - At the launch of National Non-Smoking Week, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) reminds residents there are many tools available to help tackle one of life’s most difficult challenges – to quit smoking.

Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa’s Associate Medical Officer of Health for OPH, read the official proclamation this morning at Ben Franklin Place to declare the week of January 16 to 22 National Non-Smoking Week (NNSW) in Ottawa.

The NNSW theme this year asks the question: “There are hundreds of reasons to quit… What’s yours?” Several local residents answered that question in a video that was also unveiled Monday morning and can be found at ottawa.ca/health or the City of Ottawa’s YouTube channel.

“Anyone who smokes has reason to quit. I encourage anyone who wants to quit smoking to discover their own,” said Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson. “It only takes one good reason to start down the path to a healthier, smoke-free life.”

“There are both immediate and long-term benefits when you quit smoking,” said Councillor Diane Holmes, chair of Ottawa’s Board of Health. “We invite Ottawa residents who want to quit smoking to take advantage of the many free quit smoking tools and services from Ottawa Public Health and our community partners.”

There are 135,000 people in Ottawa, or 15 per cent of the population, who smoke. In 2008, 42 per cent of smokers surveyed in Ontario said they intended to quit during the next month.

“Tobacco use remains the most preventable cause of death and disease in Canada,” said Dr. Isra Levy, Ottawa’s Medical Officer of Health. ”Quitting smoking is one of the best and most immediate ways to improve your health,”

Whether you are looking for individual or group programs, on-line tools, text messaging, phone support, contests, workshops or nicotine replacement therapy, the right tools are available at ottawa.ca/health.

These programs and supports include:

free eight-week group programs through A.C.E.S.S. (Accessible Chances for Everyone to Stop Smoking)
Kick Butt for 2 for pregnant teens and young single parents
Smokers’ Section – an exposé program offering smoking cessation support for youth
Smokers’ Helpline – a free, confidential telephone-based service from Canadian Cancer Society
Quit Smoking Program for individual support by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute
Driven to Quit Challenge – a Canadian Cancer Society contest offering the incentive to quit smoking and be eligible to win a car and other prizes!
STOP Study - a Centre for Addiction and Mental Health study providing free nicotine

replacement therapy and counselling support For more information about smoking cessation programs and tools, visit ottawa.ca/health or call 613-580-6744. You can also connect with Ottawa Public Health on Facebook and Twitter (@ottawahealth) for the latest public health information.