Welcome to Northern Health's tobacco reduction page.

"COMMIT TO QUIT" Contest

We know most smokers want to quit. That’s why during National Non-Smoking Week the BC Lung Association is hosting an online contest at www.quitnow.ca to motivate BC smokers to commit to quit!

When is the contest running?

Now until the end of National Non-Smoking Week, January 21st, 2012.

What are the prizes?

The grand prize is an iPad2. In addition, five runners-up will each receive a $100 gift certificate from Save-On-Food’s Pharmacy.

How can I participate?

You must be a BC resident, 19 years of age or older on January 23rd, 2012

You need to register for our free online service at quitnow.ca by January 21st, 2012 at 11:59pm PST; and

You must commit to a quit date no later than February 21st, 2012.

When will the winners be announced?

Winners will be drawn on January 23rd, 2012 and will need to answer a skill-testing question.

Winners will be announced shortly thereafter on the QuitNow website, facebook and twitter pages.

Tobacco is the number one cause of preventable illness and death across Northern British Columbia. Northern Health is dedicated to helping people avoid using tobacco altogether, and supporting people as they quit using it.

Northern Health's Tobacco Reduction Program uses a comprehensive approach to address the high rates of tobacco use in northern British Columbia. This strategy contains educational, clinical and regulatory elements organized into four "pillars":

• Prevention of tobacco initiation
• Protection from exposure to second hand smoke
• Cessation of tobacco use
• Enforcement of tobacco legislation

Staff who deliver NH tobacco reduction programs include:

• Tobacco Reduction Coordinators in each HSDA focus on prevention of tobacco initiation (uptake of smoking), protection from second hand smoke, and smoking cessation through community awareness, mobilization, and capacity building around the tobacco issue.
• Tobacco Enforcement Officers in each HSDA focus on enforcement of the Federal Tobacco Act and Tobacco Regulations and the Provincial Tobacco Control Act and Regulations .
• Nicotine Intervention Counselling Center staff (a coordinator, three program assistants and a network of over 200 trained counselors) provide smokers across northern BC with cessation support.

For more information about Northern Health’s Tobacco Reduction Strategy contact the Regional Tobacco Reduction Coordinator in your area