NYU Langone Medical Center will host a week’s worth of events as part of New York Kicks Butts, a campaign led by the American Cancer Society to acquaint New York City residents with the resources available in their neighborhood to help with quitting smoking. Throughout the week, NYU Langone health professionals will offer various activities to encourage New Yorkers to quit smoking. The campaign begins on May 31, which is World No-Tobacco Day.

“NYU Langone is committed to reducing the burden of tobacco use, which remains the leading cause of preventable death in New York,” says Donna Shelley, MD, MPH, associate professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Population Health and the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone. “In addition to the services that we provide year-round, during New York Kicks Butts Week, we are offering the NYU Langone community free smoking-cessation information sessions, which include topics such as behavior change, nutrition, and stress reduction.”

New York City is a nationwide leader in the area of tobacco control, yet 13.9 percent of residents continue to smoke, and 7,500 residents die from smoking-related illnesses every year. Cigarette smoking is a significant risk factor for numerous health conditions, like lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease and harms nearly every organ of the body. Quitting smoking can lead to many health benefits including lowered risk for cancer, reduced risk for heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.

NYU Langone recognizes that despite people’s best efforts, quitting smoking or stopping the use of other tobacco products can be challenging, and many smokers become frustrated by the cycle of quitting and relapsing. Programs to help smokers include the Tobacco Cessation Program at Perlmutter Cancer Center, the Smilow Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Tobacco Cessation Program, and integrative health services. Additionally, our New York City Treats Tobacco program works in partnership with city health care organizations to integrate routine screening and evidence-based treatment for tobacco use into medical and behavioral care, with a focus on providers serving communities with socioeconomic and psychosocial difficulties.

New York Kicks Butts week unites over 40 healthcare providers, advocacy and community organizations, non-and for-profit businesses, patient communities, religious institutions, and more citywide in an effort to promote smoking cessation and connect residents with the help that they need to quit.

“The smoking rate in New York City is impressively low when compared to nationwide numbers. But we won’t be satisfied with fewer smokers—we want zero smokers,” says Dr. Alvaro Carrascal, senior vice president of cancer control for the American Cancer Society. “Fortunately, this campaign proves that we have the commitment of the public and private sector to help every Manhattan resident put down their cigarettes for good. The resources to kick the habit are available, and collectively we’re helping smokers get whatever help they need.”

New York Kicks Butts Events

Smoking Cessation Information and Carbon Monoxide Monitoring

Free carbon monoxide monitoring and educational materials for staff, patients, and visitors hosted by NYC Treats Tobacco and the NYU Langone Smoking Cessation nursing team.

Date: Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Time: 12:00-2:00PM
Location: NYU Langone Medical Center, 550 First Avenue, outside Tisch Cafe

Live Dr. Radio Interview on Sirius XM

Join Pat Chibbaro, NP, and Ana Mola, NP, of NYU Langone Medical Center’s Tobacco Cessation Team to learn more about tobacco use statistics and current research, particularly with respect to patients with behavioral health conditions, medication myths, treating comorbid conditions, and the national and local work we are doing here at NYU Langone Medical Center.

Date: Thursday, June 2, 2016
Time: 4:00-6:00PM

Smoking Cessation Information and Carbon Monoxide Monitoring

Free carbon monoxide monitoring and educational materials for staff, patients, and visitors hosted by NYC Treats Tobacco and the NYU Langone Smoking Cessation nursing team.

Date: Monday, June 6, 2016
Time: 12:00-2:00PM
Location: NYU Langone Medical Center, 550 First Avenue, outside Tisch Cafe

Tobacco Cessation Tips Q&A

Join Betty Jean Rosenhagen, Ana Mola, NP, Angela Amendola, and Stacey Greenberg of the NYU Langone Tobacco Cessation team for a one-hour forum open to staff, patients, caregivers, and the local community. Find out how we can help you start your journey in smoking cessation with information about tobacco use and health problems, treatment options, stress reduction, lifestyle changes, and getting support. Topics include smoking cessation counseling, health systems change, and health behavior change.

Date: Monday, June 8, 2016
Time: 4:00-5:00PM
Location: NYU Langone Medical Center, 550 First Avenue Alumni Hall A

Prescribing Tobacco Cessation Pharmacotherapy: Implementing Evidence-Based Practices Webinar

This webinar, sponsored by the Center of Excellence for Health Systems Improvement for a Tobacco-Free New York, will review best practices for prescribing the seven Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved tobacco cessation medications and discuss updates to the FDA prescribing instructions. The target audience is medical and behavioral healthcare providers and healthcare administrators. CME credits are available at no charge.

Presenter: Donna Shelley, MD, MPH
Date: Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Time: 8:00-9:00AM