Kane County is quitting in April.

No, we’re not talking about those essential government services like the criminal justice system or road construction or restaurant health inspections.

We’re talking about smoking.

The Kane County Health Department is partnering with seven local healthcare agencies this April to kick off the county’s Smoking Cessation Awareness Month, sponsored by Pfizer. The campaign is titled “Kane County Quits.”

Kane County Quits is a countywide effort encouraging the community to help put an end to smoking. The goal of Kane County Quits is to connect tobacco-users with the countless resources available just around the corner.

Resources include consulting with your primary care physician/healthcare provider, calling the Illinois Tobacco Quitline at 866-QUIT-YES for free cessation counseling, utilizing online tools such as www.PlanMyQuit.com, and lastly, visiting the Kane County Health Departments’ tobacco webpage at www.kanehealth.com/tobacco_cessation.htm.

Why

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, and is responsible for 480,000 deaths per year in United States alone. Further, smoking causes chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease and diabetes. Chronic disease has been identified as one of Kane County’s top health threats in the Health Department’s Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). By working towards reducing smoking rates in Kane County, we are one step closer to becoming the healthiest county in Illinois by 2030.

Who

Kane County Health Department, Pfizer, and 7 local health care agencies united to create the Kane County Quits campaign, and joined forces to promote the most effective cessation tools.

Kane County Quits Partners 2015 include:

Your Reasons to Quit

There are many reasons to quit smoking. Which ones are most important to you? Look at the list below, check off the reasons that apply to you, and add any extras you can think of. Keep your list handy and use it as motivation to stick with your decision to quit.

• I’m ready for a change.
• Smoking is affecting my relationships.
• I want to improve my health.
• I want to save money by not buying cigarettes.
• I’m planning on having a baby.
• I feel like I’m looked down upon as a smoker.
• I spend too much time alone smoking.
• It’s becoming harder to find places to smoke.
• Almost everywhere I go smoking is not allowed.
• I don’t want to expose my family and friends to secondhand smoke