Freedom From Smoking Support Group to Begin July 22 At UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

By Kelly Gardner

LITTLE ROCK – If you’re ready to quit smoking, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is ready to help.

To sign up, contact Pat Franklin at (501) 944-5934 or plfranklin@uams.edu. Franklin, Freedom from Smoking group leader, is a certified tobacco treatment specialist and advanced practice nurse at UAMS.

Participants get one-on-one support, hear first-hand stories from former smokers and learn to manage stress, avoid weight again and stay smoke free for life.

Since it was introduced by the American Lung Association (ALA) almost 30 year ago, the Freedom from Smoking program has helped more than a million Americans end their addiction to nicotine. The program is offered by the UAMS Cancer Institute and uses materials provided by the ALA.

UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a northwest Arkansas regional campus; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,890 students and 782 medical residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,000 physicians and other professionals who provide care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS regional centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com.