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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Release # 029-08 Tuesday, April 29, 2008 MEDIA CONTACT: (212) 788-5290 Jessica Scaperotti: jscapero@health.nyc.gov; Sara Markt: smarkt@health.nyc.gov | |
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ONLY 48 HOURS LEFT TO GET NICOTINE PATCHES AND GUM AT NO COST Smokers Who Want Help Quitting Should Call 311 Now! |
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NEW YORK CITY – April 29, 2008 – With only 48 hours left in this year’s nicotine patch and gum giveaway, the Health Department urges New Yorkers who are still smoking to call 311 for help. So far, more than 15,000 New Yorkers have enrolled in the program, which began nearly two weeks ago. The giveaway ends at midnight on Thursday, May 1. Records from 311 show that some groups are calling in greater numbers than others. Brooklyn residents lead the pack among the boroughs so far, accounting for 28% of enrollees. But the South Bronx has the highest call volume of all neighborhoods, accounting for 9% of all calls. About 60% of callers have said they heard about the program through the Health Department’s new anti-tobacco ads featuring Marie, a Bronx resident. Women have placed more calls than men, even though men smoke at higher rates in New York City. Middle age smokers are calling in greater numbers than younger and older smokers, and Black and white New Yorkers are calling more than Hispanic New Yorkers. Overall 60% of enrollees said that they’d tried to quit in the past year, indicating that many smokers are willing to give it another try.
*NYC DOHMH Community Health Survey 2006 ### | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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