MCG PARTICIPATES IN THE GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT

November 18, 2002

Augusta, Ga. -- Free tobacco cessation and prevention information will be available at MCG Health System on Thursday, November 21, as part of the American Cancer Society's national initiative to help people quit smoking during the Great American Smokeout. The public is invited to stop by information tables at the lobby of the Ambulatory Care Center from 9 a.m. to noon and on the second floor of the main hospital, Sydenstricker wing (enter from Harper Street under the VA crosswalk), from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Health care professionals from the MCG Cancer Center and the Department of Family Medicine will answer questions about how smoking affects your body and offer guidelines on how to quit successfully. Information will also be available on the American Cancer Society's FreshStart Program, which provides education and support to help smokers quit for good.

The Great American Smokeout is held annually on the Thursday before Thanksgiving.

MCG HealthCare is the health system of the Medical College of Georgia and is comprised of MCG Health, Inc. and the clinical services offered by the faculty of the School of Medicine and the members of the Physicians Practice Group. MCG Health, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCG Hospitals and Clinics, Children's Medical Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center and related clinical facilities and services. MCG Health, Inc. was formed to support the research and education mission of the Medical College of Georgia and to build the economic growth of the CSRA, the state of Georgia and the Southeast by offering the highest level of primary and specialty health care.