Suffolk County, NY - June 30, 2014 - Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Health Commissioner James Tomarken, MD, MPH, encourage all Suffolk County residents who smoke to sign up for Suffolk County’s Learn To Be…Tobacco Free smoking cessation program.
“Suffolk County has led the way in tobacco control and will continue to do so,” said Bellone. “Ultimately, we hope to improve the health of the community and reduce the health-care costs associated with tobacco use.”
Suffolk County’s comprehensive Learn to Be …Tobacco Free cessation program includes educational classes, pharmaceutical support to medically-eligible participants, and continued support upon completion of the program. Approximately 18,000 individuals have participated in cessation classes since 2000.
“Next week, the CDC will be rolling out its newest national tobacco education campaign,” said Dr. James Tomarken, Suffolk County Commissioner of Health Services. “The ads will bring to life the devastating effects of smoking. We anticipate that the ads will encourage smokers to want to prevent these realities from happening to them. We’ve got a program for that.”
Listed below are current Learn to Be…Tobacco Free classes that are open for enrollment:
Sienna Village, 200 Bishops’ Road, Smithtown, NY
Mondays from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.,, June 30; July 7, 14; August 4, 11, and reunion class, August 25
Contact: 631-870-3444
TRICYA, 809 New York Ave., Huntington Station, NY
Tuesdays from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.,, July 8, 15, 22, 29; August 5, 12, and reunion class, September 2
Contact: 673-0614
Southampton Town Center, 25 Ponquogue Ave., Hampton Bays, NY
Thursdays from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m., July 10, 17, 24, 31; August 7, 14, and reunion class, September 4
Contact: Janice Hurley, 853-3187
Southold Free Library, 53705 Main Road, Southold, NY
Mondays from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m., July 14, 21, 28; August 4, 11, 18, and reunion class, September 8
Contact: 765-2077
Good Samaritan Hospital with Breast Cancer Health Inc., 32 Park Ave., Bay Shore, NY
Tuesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., July 15, 22, 29; August 5, 12, 19, and reunion class, September 9
Contact: 376-4444
St. Charles Outpatient Rehabilitation Center at Melville, 1895 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, NY
Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., July 31; August 7, 14, 21, 28; September 4, and reunion class September 25
Contact: 577-3400
Lindenhurst Public Library, One Lee Ave., Lindenhurst, NY
Tuesdays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., August 19, 26; September 2, 9, 16, 23, and reunion class October 14
Contact: 957-7755
Support Groups are held at 5:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month in the North County Complex, Bldg. C928, located at 725 Veteran’s Memorial Highway, Smithtown, NY. Support Groups are also held at 5:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month at the Riverhead Library located at 330 Court St., Riverhead, NY. In order to attend the support group, participants must have attended and completed a full program (six weeks) of smoking cessation classes.
Smoking cessation sessions will be rolled out in communities throughout Suffolk County over the course of the year. For more information on Suffolk County’s tobacco cessation classes, call 853-4017 or visit the Suffolk County website.