JRMC joins regional Quit Week to help people stop nicotine use

Jamestown Regional Medical Center joined a regional Quit Week push June 7-13 to help people in Jamestown and across Stutsman County take a real first step away from nicotine. The effort went beyond cigarettes, reaching people who use vapes, chewing tobacco and nicotine pouches, a sign that local quit support is now aimed at the full range of products driving dependence.

The campaign marked its seventh year and brought together Tobacco Free North Dakota, North Dakota Health and Human Services and local public health partners. JRMC said resources were available through NDQuits, healthcare providers and pharmacists, including tobacco treatment services through JRMC Respiratory Therapy. That combination matters for families trying to quit now: it ties a public message to places where help can actually be started.

For many people, the first move was simple. North Dakota Health and Human Services said NDQuits is a free program, and people can enroll by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW or by texting start to 300500. The state said NDQuits serves nearly 2,000 North Dakotans every year and helps people who use smoking tobacco, smokeless tobacco products, vapes or electronic cigarettes, and nicotine pouches.

State public-health data showed why that broader approach mattered. In 2023, nearly one in four North Dakota adults, 24%, used at least one tobacco product. Use was higher among American Indians at 32%, adults with a high school diploma or equivalency or less education at 37%, and people reporting poor mental health at 43%. A 2025 CDC-authored article also found that nearly 1 in 3 North Dakota high school students used e-cigarettes and about 1 in 5 adults continued to smoke.

North Dakota Health and Human Services said coaching or medication improves the odds of quitting successfully, which is why Quit Week was built around access to treatment instead of just awareness. In practical terms, that meant Jamestown residents who were ready to stop did not have to figure it out alone. They had a statewide quit line, local medical staff, pharmacists and respiratory therapists all tied into the same effort.

For Stutsman County families, the message was direct: quit support was already organized, and it covered far more than cigarettes.