According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tobacco use is the top preventable cause of disease and premature death in the U.S. It kills more than 480,000 people annually in the U.S. and 6 million worldwide.

Tobacco use compromises military readiness and imposes increasingly high health care costs on taxpayers.

Thursday, Nov. 19, is the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout. That day, Naval Hospital (NH) Jacksonville's Wellness Center staff will be at Naval Air Station Jacksonville's Navy Exchange from 11 a.m. to noon providing tobacco cessation tips and tools to help people quit and stay quit.

"Our goal is to reduce tobacco use and improve the health and wellness of our nation's military members and their families," said Charlene Rees, a registered nurse and smoking cessation coordinator for Naval Hospital Jacksonville's Wellness Center.

Tobacco smoke contains a deadly mix of more than 7,000 chemicals, 70 of which are known to cause cancer.

Tobacco use--both smoking and smokeless--can lead to dependence and serious health problems. Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smokeless tobacco is associated with cancer of the mouth, esophagus and pancreas, as well as heart disease and stroke. The potential long-term effects with e-cigarette use are not currently known. However U.S. health organizations recommend that they be strongly regulated or banned.

Equally as bad are the effects of secondhand smoke, which contains the same chemicals that a smoker inhales. Secondhand smoke harms both adults and children; even brief exposure can be harmful to health.

Quitting, on the other hand, provides both short and long-term health benefits. Within 20 minutes of quitting, heart rate and blood pressure drop. Within 12 hours, carbon monoxide in the blood drops to normal. And after one year, the excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker.

NH Jacksonville's Wellness Center uses a variety of ways to help patients curb tobacco use such as medication, gum, classes and counseling. These services are available to active duty, retirees and TRICARE eligible family members.

Wellness Center staff conduct one-on-one tobacco consultations (walk-in or by appointment) and offer three group classes each week. On average, the program sees more than 2,200 patients a year across its six facilities in Florida and Georgia, with a highly-successful 30 percent quit rate at three months.

The time is now. Visit the hospital's Wellness Center, next to Naval Air Station Jacksonville's fitness center, or call 904-542-5292 for help quitting. Active duty personnel can also stop by or call Naval Branch Health Clinic Jacksonville's Health Promotions at 904-546-7062.

Additional resources include Department of Defense's www.ucanquit2.org and The Florida Quitline at 877-U-CAN-NOW or www.floridaquitline.com.

NH Jacksonville's priority since its founding in 1941 is to heal the nation's heroes and their families. The command is comprised of the Navy's third largest hospital and five branch health clinics across Florida and Georgia. Of its patient population--about 163,000 active and retired sailors, soldiers, Marines, airmen, guardsmen and their families--about 84,000 are enrolled with a primary care manager and Medical Home Port team at one of its facilities. To find out more or download NH Jacksonville's mobile app, visit the command website at www.med.navy.mil/sites/navalhospitaljax.

For more news from Naval Hospital Jacksonville, visit www.navy.mil/.