South Georgia Medical Center will be joining forces with the Valdosta Mall, South Health District, and the American Cancer Society to encourage people to quit smoking, dipping, or chewing tobacco products. In honor of the American Cancer Society's annual Great American Smokeout, the four organizations have devised innovative tools to encourage people to quit. On November 15, from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. inside the Valdosta Mall,SGMC’s Pulmonary Services will offer free pulmonary function tests and the Dasher Heart Center staff will offer blood pressure screenings at the event.

Pulmonary function tests measure the amount of oxygen you breathe in and out and how well oxygen is absorbed into your bloodstream. Pulmonary function tests are often used to diagnose emphysema, asthma and bronchitis.  Smoking often causes an increase in blood pressure. If you smoke, it’s important to know your blood pressure levels. Also during the Smokeout, the American Cancer Society and South Health District will be distributing tobacco-related educational brochures and eye catching visual aids on the harmful effects of using tobacco products. Participants will also have a chance to sign up for free smoking cessation classes and even enter into a drawing for a door prize. For more information call (229) 333-1074 or visit www.sgmc.org.

With all the resources available to help smokers quit, there isn’t a better time to quit. The Great American Smokeout was inaugurated in 1976 to inspire and encourage smokers to quit for one day. Now, 44.2 percent of the 45.3 million Americans who smoke have attempted to quit for at least one day in the past year. The Great American Smokeout remains a great opportunity to encourage people to commit to making a long-term plan to quit using tobacco for good.

Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the U.S.  Each year smoking accounts for 443,000 premature deaths and 49,400 nonsmokers die as a result of exposure to secondhand smoke. Half of all Americans who continue to smoke will die from smoking-related diseases. For more information about ACS’s Great American Smokeout visit cancer.org.