Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/449336
14 UCW JANUARY 21-27, 2015 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM CUMBERLAND co.cumberland.nc.us If you made quitting smoking your New Year's resolution, the Cumberland County Department of Public Health wants to help you keep your commitment to improving your health. The Health Department is observing the fifth anniversary of the North Carolina state law requiring restaurants and bars to be smoke-free and encourages smokers to take advantage of free smoking cessation programs like QuitlineNC, which is offered to anyone in the state who needs help quitting tobacco use. The law took effect on Jan. 2, 2010. Ockidde Harris, the Health Department's regional tobacco coordinator, said QuitlineNC is the top recommendation for helping people quit tobacco use. You can call QuitlineNC at 1-800-QUIT- NOW (1-800-784-8669) for free coaching to help you kick the habit, or contact online web coaches at quitlinenc.com. "We recommend QuitlineNC because it offers help 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Harris said. Although a referral is not required for QuitlineNC, the Health Department encourages doctors to refer patients who are tobacco users to take advantage of the resource. "A referral is not required but we are working with physicians to refer patients who are interested in making a quit attempt. The involvement of the medical provider can help with initial contact with the quitline as well as increase the patient's commitment to the quit attempt." Beginning Sept. 1, 2014, all county properties became smoke- free, with the exception of the Crown Complex and Parks and Recreation facilities. The ban is part of a county health initiative that started Jan. 1, 2014. Smoke-Free Anniversary Observed Employers Needed For March Job Fair Employers are invited to participate in the upcoming "March to Work" job fair on March 10 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Crown Expo Center, 1960 Coliseum Dr. The Cumberland County Department of Social Services Work First Program is partnering with the Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center, City of Fayetteville, Fayetteville Technical Community College, Public Works Commission, Beasley Broadcast Group and Hardee's to present the award-winning "March to Work" Job Fair. The event is free and open to the public. A feature of the job fair will be the virtual Internet Café to help job seekers submit job applications online. The Internet Café earned the Best Practice Award from the Social Services Institute last year. The job fair provides a great opportunity for employers to find new employees as well as advertise their businesses. Booth space is free and equipped with wireless Internet access. Electrical access for booth space is available for a $25 fee. For more information and to sign up for a booth, contact Toni Wright-Harris at 910-677-2151 or Robert Relyea at 910-677-2222. Please respond by Feb. 25 as spaces will fill up quickly. The Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center has received two awards from the North Carolina Public Library Directors Association. The first award was for an Outstanding New/Improved Library Facility awarded to the Hope Mills Branch in the category of medium-sized remodeled facility. The Hope Mills Branch has become the highest circulating community branch in the county. The second award received was for Library Programming, specifically, the library's program targeting homeschoolers. Go to co.cumberland.nc.us/library.aspx for more information and a list of library events and programs. Library Wins Two Awards