PRESS RELEASE:
#quittogether
ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–November 19, 2014–
Sharecare, a comprehensive online health and wellness engagement platform founded by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Jeff Arnold, and the American Cancer Society (ACS) are teaming up to host their second Great American Smokeout Twitter chat on Thursday, November 20, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
The chat, which will also feature the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Sarah Cannon Research Institute, will use the hashtag #quittogether and will allow smokers, their friends and family and anyone interested in the topic to pose questions to a panel of experts from the American Cancer Society, Alere Wellbeing, American Heart Association, Johns Hopkins Medicine and Sharecare’s Advisory Board. The chat will focus on how to quit smoking, how to help someone who wants to quit, the dangers of smoking for you and your loved one’s health, e-cigarettes, and simple tips and tricks that can help families quit-together.
According to the American Cancer Society, tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the U.S., yet about 42 million Americans still smoke cigarettes – nearly 1 in every 5 adults.
“Thanks in part to the Society’s work, cigarette smoking among U.S. adults has decreased from more than 42 percent in 1965 to around 19 percent today,” said Otis W. Brawley, M.D. Chief Medical Officer for the American Cancer Society. “Yet tobacco use still accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths and 80 percent of lung cancer deaths. For every person who dies from a smoking-related disease, 20 others suffer at least one serious illness from smoking. We hope the Great American Smokeout continues to have an impact, helping smokers realize they can add up to a decade onto their life by quitting now.”
Featured experts who will answer questions on these topics and more include Dr. Otis Brawley, Dr. Eric Jacobs, ACS Strategic Director of Pharmacoepidemiology, and Sharecare’s Dr. Michael Roizen, one of the creators of the RealAge test.
How to join the conversation:
What: Great American Smokeout Twitter Chat (#quittogether)
When: Thursday, Nov. 20, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST
Who: Sharecare & American Cancer Society (ACS) Experts
- Dr. Otis Brawley, Chief Medical Officer, ACS
- Eric Jacobs, PhD, Strategic Director of Pharmacoepidemiology, ACS
- Ken Wassum, Director of Clinical Development and Support, Alere Wellbeing
- Dr. Tanya Altmann, Pediatrics, Community Pediatric Medical Group; Advisory Board Member, Sharecare
- Patricia Geraghty, Nurse Practitioner, Women’s Healthcare Partners of California; Advisory Board Member, Sharecare
- Dr. Robin Miller, MD, Integrative Medicine; Advisory Board Member, Sharecare
- Dr. Michael Roizen, MD, Chief Wellness Officer, Cleveland Clinic; Advisory Board Member, Sharecare
How to Participate: Submit your questions and comments on Twitter using the hashtag #quittogether starting Wednesday, Nov. 19, through 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20. If you don’t have a Twitter account, you can still follow the questions submitted and the live chat via Sharecare’s live Twitter event page: https://www.sharecare.com/static/sharecare-twitter-chats
About the Great American Smokeout
The American Cancer Society marks the Great American Smokeout on the third Thursday of November each year by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. By quitting – even for one day – smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life – one that can lead to reducing cancer risk.
About Sharecare
Sharecare is a health and wellness engagement platform that provides people with personalized resources to help them live their healthiest lives. Nearly 40 million people have shared more than 5 billion data points about their health status and habits with Sharecare, which uses that information to create a comprehensive health profile allowing users to access all of their health resources in one place, and dynamically connect to the knowledge, evidence-based programs and health professionals they need. Created by Jeff Arnold and Dr. Mehmet Oz in 2010, Sharecare’s predictive and personalized platform is accessed daily by millions of consumers, including viewers of The Dr. Oz Show, patient populations of the country’s leading hospital systems and every Soldier in the United States Army.
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Jen Martin Hall, 404-665-4305
jen@sharecare.com