Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in America. It accounts for one out of every five deaths, killing 61 individuals in New England every single day.

Because these deaths are completely preventable, the American Cancer Society's New England Division initiated an intensive community mobilization effort to reduce tobacco use. It's called Smoke-Free New England.

Our volunteers and staff collaborate with government, non-profit, and private sector partners to design and carry out activities to create a healthier New England. Because we know that high-quality tobacco prevention and control programs reduce tobacco use, we know we are saving lives. Working together, we can eliminate the nation's No. 1 cancer-killer -- tobacco.

Smoke-Free New England's Goals

Our aim is to protect people -- especially children -- from breathing secondhand smoke. We are doing this by:

• Seeking to increase the number of smoke-free worksites and public places -- including bars and restaurants -- through a combination of public education and government and voluntary policies.
• Increasing the number of health care providers who assess their patients' exposure to secondhand smoke.
• Working with firefighters to increase the number of smoke-free homes, dormitories, public places and worksites in order to reduce both everyone's exposure to secondhand smoke and the number of fires caused by faulty disposal of smoking materials.

We also want to keep our kids from smoking. We are helping to accomplish this by:

• Restricting youth access to tobacco, making school campuses tobacco-free, and increasing the number of colleges and universities that have smoke-free dormitories and campuses.
• Reducing tobacco advertising near schools and playgrounds, and incorporating information about tobacco into Comprehensive School Health Education programs.
• Seeking to ban the free distribution of tobacco products.
• Increasing the use of the Make Yours a Fresh Start Family program throughout New England --particularly in communities with high smoking rates among pregnant women.

We also recognize that smokers need lots of support to help them quit. We are doing this by:

• Developing a resource and referral list of tobacco treatment services.
• Actively marketing the availability of tobacco treatment services and products.
• Increasing the number of employers that provide on-site tobacco treatment and pay for tobacco treatment services and products, such as nicotine replacement therapies.
• Increasing both the number of certified tobacco treatment specialists in New England and the number of health insurers that cover the cost of tobacco services and products.

To get involved, contact us today at 1-800-ACS-2345 or email us.