NBC ‘Today’ Show Features the      FDNY   Smoking Cessation Program

The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Smoking Cessation Program, co-supported by The CHEST Foundation, was featured on the November 20, 2003, episode of NBC’s morning program, Today.

For over a year, producers from Today followed several firefighters through the FDNY Smoking Cessation Program, attending meetings and breakout sessions, and conducting interviews with program participants, counselors, and other health-care professionals. The Today segment gave viewers a look at how tobacco users struggle with nicotine addiction and the smoking cessation process.

The FDNY Smoking Cessation Program was launched in August 2002 in an ongoing effort to decrease tobacco use among New York firefighters who began smoking or restarted smoking after the 9/11 World Trade Center tragedy. To date, nearly 400 firefighters and EMS workers have participated in the free educational tobacco cessation program, with more than half becoming tobacco-free at 3 months.

The CHEST Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American College of Chest Physicians. Its mission is to provide resources to advance the prevention and treatment of chest diseases. Smoking cessation is a priority of The CHEST Foundation and is pursued through education, collaboration, communication, and recognition.

To learn more about the  FDNY Smoking Cessation Program and other tobacco cessation programs sponsored by The CHEST Foundation, click here.