Beaufort County Health Department is joining a national effort to help local residents kick tobacco-product dependencies.

As part of the Great American Smokeout on Nov. 19, as well as Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the health department is distributing free “quit kits” during the month of November for those who want to quit smoking or are struggling to quit. This is the second year the health department has ordered the kits to distribute them.

The kits include items, such as mints, gum, lollypops, armbands and stress-ball key chains, said JaNell Lewis, human services planner and preparedness coordinator at the Beaufort County Health Department.

She said the mints, gum and lollypops are meant to be a distraction for someone who is quitting smoking and take the place of a cigarette in a person’s mouth. The armbands are meant to be reminders of the commitment to quit smoking, and the stress-ball key chain is a way to relieve stress without picking up a cigarette, she said.

“It is important for those who use tobacco products to understand the risk they are putting themselves in, as well as those around them,” a press release stated. “The term tobacco includes but is not limited to cigarettes, cigars, pipes, dip and chew.”

Lewis said the kits also include helpful information and a hotline number, as well as facts about the results of quitting smoking.

For example, 20 minutes after someone quits smoking, his or her heart rate and blood pressure drops. Twelve hours after quitting smoking, the carbon monoxide level in the blood becomes normal again, according to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report.

The health department staff is distributing the kits at its location on Highland Avenue or any other health events they may attend, and they also distributed them at Thursday’s Washington Benefits Fair, according to Carol Kinnion, director of nursing at the health department.

“It’s easier to get people to stop and talk with you if you have something that catches your eye,” she said. “Health promotion is our business.”

“It serves as a reminder of what they’re committed to,” Lewis said. “We would love to have the opportunity to order them each year.”

“They’re going fast. I’ll tell you that.”