Little Rock proclaims Nov. 20 Great American Smokeout; organizers urge quitting, screening

Catherine O'Donnell, executive director of the Coalition for Tobacco Free Arkansas, opened a press event at Little Rock City Hall on Nov. 20, 2025, urging smokers and vapers to use the Great American Smokeout as a starting point for quitting tobacco.

"Today, we stand as a community committed to health, hope, and the power of change," O'Donnell said, framing the day as "1 conversation, 1 commitment, 1 courageous decision at a time." The coalition hosted the event in partnership with the city to spotlight cessation resources and encourage residents to quit for at least 24 hours.

Michael Sanders, director of the city's Department of Community Programs, read a proclamation from Mayor Frank Scott Jr. declaring Nov. 20, 2025, as Great American Smokeout Day in Little Rock and reaffirming the city's support for smoke-free environments and public-health outreach. "I, Frank Scott Jr., mayor of the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, do hereby proclaim 11/20/2025 as Great American Smokeout Day in Little Rock," Sanders read.

An event speaker (identified in the transcript only by speaker label) said there are "over 400,000 adults in the state of Arkansas who smoke" and urged current and former smokers to consider lung cancer screening. The speaker cited state screening data, noting that Arkansas ranks 33rd out of 51 for lung cancer screening and that roughly 14.3% of eligible smokers and former smokers receive annual low-dose CT screening. The speaker added that low-dose CT screening can reduce lung cancer deaths by up to about 20% and encouraged eligible people—those ages 50 to 80 with a 20 pack‑year smoking history—to talk with a doctor about screening.

"If you should fail seven times in your quit attempt, then stand up eight," the speaker said, urging persistence in cessation efforts and referencing a lung cancer screening bill passed with Representative Fred Allen's help the prior year.

Dwight Pritchard, the city's reentry coordinator and a former tobacco user, described his own quitting journey. He said he quit "cold turkey" in October 2015 and asked listeners to take a 24‑hour quit attempt as a first step toward long‑term change.

Jessica Bridal, conservation education manager at the Little Rock Zoo, connected smoking to environmental harm, saying secondhand smoke and discarded cigarettes pollute air, soil and waterways and can affect children, pets and wildlife. "Smoke‑free environments support public health and the well‑being of animals," Bridal said.

Catherine O'Donnell closed the event by thanking speakers and attendees and noting that Lisa Higgins had given permission for organizers to share part of her stop‑and‑start quitting story; Higgins did not speak at the podium. O'Donnell invited questions from the audience but none were raised at the event.

Organizers emphasized cessation resources and screening as immediate steps for residents. The proclamation and the coalition's outreach are intended to increase visibility for quit attempts and encourage eligible people to discuss lung cancer screening with their health providers.