BUFFALO, NY — Thousands of New Yorkers will make a resolution to stop smoking in the New Year. The good news is that free help is just a call or click away through the New York State Smokers’ Quitline, accessible at 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487) or https://www.nysmokefree.com/.
The Quitline, based at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (Roswell Park),provides free, confidential assistance to New York residents who want to stop smoking or using tobacco. The Quitline provides free nicotine patch or gum starter kits, quit coaching, self-help materials, an online smokefree community, motivational messages and daily tips.
Smokers can go online 24/7 to apply for the nicotine patch or gum starter kit and to join Breathe, a personal online quit program available at https://www.nysmokefree.com/.
“Most adult smokers are motivated to quit, but find it hard to stay off cigarettes permanently because they’re addicted to nicotine. The simple fact of the matter is, cigarettes are engineered in ways that make them unnecessarily hard to stop using,” says K. Michael Cummings, PhD, MPH, Director of the NYS Smokers’ Quitline and Chair of the Department of Health Behavior at Roswell Park. “The free resources available through the New York State Smokers’ Quitline can help smokers level the playing field by giving them a roadmap on how to overcome their nicotine addiction.”
According to the New York State Department of Health, 17% of New York adults are smokers. The NYS Smokers’ Quitline has received well over a million calls since its inception in 2000, and has helped thousands of New Yorkers to overcome their addiction to nicotine.
The mission of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. Roswell Park, founded in 1898, was one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit Roswell Park’s website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email AskRoswell@Roswellpark.org.
Editor’s note: Experts from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center are available to discuss cessation and the effects of tobacco use. Contact Annie Deck-Miller at 716-845-8593 or annie.deck-miller@roswellpark.org to schedule an interview.
Annie Deck-Miller, Senior Media Relations Manager
716-845-8593; annie.deck-miller@roswellpark.org