Monroe County Declares Smoking Cessation, Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Monroe County leaders used their November 13 meeting to shine a spotlight on smoking cessation and lung cancer prevention by officially declaring November 2025 as Monroe County Smoking Cessation and Lung Cancer Awareness Month. The Board of County Commissioners recognized the Florida Keys Area Health Education Centers for its efforts to help residents quit smoking and to expand access to cessation resources across the islands.

The county proclamation referenced national Lung Cancer Awareness Month and the Great American Smokeout, placing local efforts in the context of a broader public health campaign. The release accompanying the declaration noted the support of Key West International Airport, whose small annual donation helps the Area Health Education Centers fund cessation services for Monroe County residents. Those services include counseling, nicotine replacement therapy and community outreach.

Public health experts agree that quitting smoking is the most effective way to reduce the risk of lung cancer and other serious diseases. By highlighting these resources the county aims to make quitting more accessible for residents who want to stop using tobacco and related products. Counseling and nicotine replacement therapy are evidence based interventions that increase the likelihood of sustained abstinence, while community outreach helps reach groups that face greater barriers to care.

For Monroe County the recognition underscores a locally tailored approach to a statewide and national problem. The Florida Keys face unique challenges including geographic isolation and limited health care capacity on smaller islands, so community based programs play an outsized role in prevention and early intervention. The airport contribution, while modest, represents a partnership model in which local institutions support public health services that directly benefit residents and visitors alike.

The proclamation and accompanying materials were posted to community news channels on or about November 13, 2025. County officials and public health partners pointed to the timing in November as an opportunity to align with national awareness activities and to encourage residents to seek help now rather than later.

Long term results will depend on sustained funding and continued outreach to populations with high smoking prevalence. For Monroe County residents the immediate impact is clearer access to counseling and nicotine replacement therapy through the Florida Keys Area Health Education Centers, and a renewed local emphasis on preventing lung disease. As the community observes Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the county signal is that quitting resources are available and that local institutions are willing to support efforts to reduce tobacco related harm.