Emanuel Medical Center is offering a helping hand to those looking to quit smoking in the month of November.

The hospital is giving free "Quit Kits" to smokers and providing a stop-smoking seminar next week.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and this year the American Cancer Society is promoting an exact date to finally refrain from cigarettes, aptly titled the “Great American Smokeout,” which is designated to begin Nov. 15.

Dr. Alyssa Epstein, a clinical psychologist at Emanuel Cancer Center, has worked first hand with troubled quitters, and understands their pain in attempting to cut clean.

“We know quitting smoking is difficult,” she said, but it, “can be done with some support along the way. That’s why we’re offering a free Quit Kit to smokers. It’s filled with resources to making quitting easier.”

The Quit Kit includes a smoking assessment, a resource guide, tips for quitting successfully, basic health information, and an outline of various aids, such as nicotine gum and patches.

A Quit Kit can be reserved online at emanuelmedicalcenter.org/cancer; or can be picked up at the Emanuel Cancer Center at 880 Tuolumne Rd., in Turlock, during weekday business hours.

Emanuel Cancer Center is also offering two free seminars on how to quit smoking. These seminars run from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 13; and 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 15. Both seminars will be held at the Emanuel Cancer Center, and Epstein will be the featured speaker. To register for these free seminars, call 664-2434.

Epstein is also offering a free six-week stop smoking program beginning on Jan. 8, 2013 at the Emanuel Cancer Center. The program is set to run for six consecutive Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.  To register for this free program, call 664-2434.