Veterans encouraged to participate in the Great American Smokeout and Lung Cancer Screening Awareness Day

The Great American Smokeout, which falls on Nov. 21 during Lung Cancer Awareness Month, is a national observance that encourages Americans to enjoy a life free from smoking. 

"Lung cancer screening is crucial to saving Veterans’ lives,” Dr. Carol Callaway-Lane, TVHS co-director of TVHS Lung Cancer Screening Program, said. “Veterans are at a higher risk for cancers and diseases as many of them started smoking at young ages while in the military. If screened and detected early, cancer is 80% curable."

Veterans eligible for lung cancer screening are between 50 and 80 years old, current or former cigarette smokers who quit within the past 15 years, have a smoking history of at least 20 pack-years and are healthy enough to undergo treatment for lung cancer.

The TVHS Lung Cancer Screening Program and TVHS Tobacco Cessation team will be available in the main lobbies of the Athens, Clarksville, Chattanooga, Charlotte Ave., Nashville, and Alvin C. York VA locations from 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. local time.

Based on a 2023 VA report, 4.5 million or 55% of Veterans enrolled in VA said they smoked cigarettes in their lifetime, and nearly one million Veterans, or 11.4%, still smoke cigarettes. Smoking can lead to various cancers and diseases like mouth, esophageal, and lung cancers, heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. 

Veterans interested in the TVHS Tobacco Cessation Program or TVHS Lung Cancer Screening Program should talk with their health care provider to be referred.

TVHS is an integrated tertiary health care system comprised of two hospitals, the Alvin C. York campus in Murfreesboro and the Nashville campus, as well as 19 community-based outpatient clinics located in Tennessee and Kentucky. TVHS provides ambulatory care, primary care, and secondary care in acute medicine and surgery, specialized tertiary care, transplant services, spinal cord injury outpatient care, and a full range of extended care and mental health services.

Hannah McDuffie, Public Affairs Officer

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