Sonora, CA…Adventist Health Sonora is once again offering the American Lung Association’s Freedom From Smoking® course beginning August 29. Classes will meet each Tuesday and one Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. for seven weeks at Pulmonary Rehabilitation, located at 19747 Greenley Road in Sonora. Freedom From Smoking provides a supportive group environment where adults work through the quitting process together with guidance from a respiratory therapist. According to the American Lung Association, “Research has proven that the more time a smoker spends in a supportive situation, the more likely he or she is to succeed. People who use [Freedom From Smoking] are six times more likely to be smoke-free one year later than those who quit on their own.”

Class participants will learn about:
• Medicines that can help you stop smoking
• Lifestyle changes that make quitting easier
• Preparing for Quit Day
• Managing stress
• Avoiding weight gain
• Developing a new self-image
• How to stay smoke-free for good

This class is covered by most private insurance and Medicare. For those without insurance or whose insurance does not cover the class, scholarships and discounts are available.
Are you ready to quit? Take the quiz at http://www.freedomfromsmoking.org/take-the-quiz/ and find out. For more information or to register for the course, please call 209-536-3726.

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About Adventist Health Sonora
Adventist Health Sonora is a not-for-profit 152-bed health care facility including 72 acute beds, 12 swing beds, 68 skilled nursing beds and a large network of clinics, owned and operated by Adventist Health in Roseville, California. In addition to emergency and acute care services, other Adventist Health Sonora services include advanced cardiac care, cancer center, diagnostic imaging, home health, hospice, intensive care, obstetrics, rural health, surgical services, wellness center, wound care and hyperbaric oxygen, and over 20 primary care, urgent care and specialty clinics. The Medical Center provided care for 156,455 outpatient visits, 88,427 diagnostic imaging tests, 29,282 home care visits, 30,380 emergency department visits, and 4,433 hospital discharges in 2016. Staffed by over 180 physicians, 1,493 employees, and 121 volunteers, Adventist Health Sonora is the largest private employer in Tuolumne County. For more information about the Medical Center visit www.adventisthealthsonora.org.

About Adventist Health
Adventist Health is a faith-based, nonprofit integrated health system serving more than 75 communities in California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. Our workforce of 32,900 includes more than 23,600 employees; nearly 5,000 medical staff physicians; and 4,350 volunteers. Founded on Seventh-day Adventist heritage and values, Adventist Health provides compassionate care in 20 hospitals, more than 260 clinics (hospital-based, rural health and physician clinics), 15 home care agencies, seven hospice agencies and four joint-venture retirement centers. In addition, the Adventist Health Plan serves patients in Kings County. Visit AdventistHealth.org for more information.