Kick the Habit, Be Smoke Free, Quit Now! All the messages aimed at helping smokers kick the habit will be heard nationwide and at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center this Thursday, November 19. That's the date of this year's Great American Smokeout, a national annual effort to get smokers to stop smoking or chewing tobacco.

The hub of activity for this year's event on the medical campus will be at Alamo Park from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The theme, "Healthy Living," was selected to encourage people to choose to give up smoking as part of an entire wellness lifestyle that incorporates exercise and a healthier diet. "Our goal," says Arthur Fournier, M.D., professor and vice chair of family medicine and community health and associate dean for community health affairs, "is to get people thinking about taking that first step toward better health, and giving up smoking is certainly a major first step."

Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., and Eneida Roldan, M.D., president and CEO of Jackson Health System, will both speak at 11:30 a.m. and make a special announcement about smoke free plans for the medical campus. In addition, there will be booths with information on smoking cessation, counseling, exercise programs and nutrition.

The Miller School and UHealth's official recognition of the Great American Smokeout began last year under the University of Miami Area Health Education Center (AHEC).