PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Health announced last Wednesday that it is joining an “unprecedented public health campaign” created by an alliance of national organizations and state health agencies to encourage smokers to quit.

The effort, led by the American Legacy Foundation, is called EX, and it is meant to change the way smokers feel about quitting and guide them to resources that can help them quit for good. Not since the Fairness Doctrine was applied to tobacco in 1967 have so many public health organizations aligned to get a smoking cessation message to the public at large, officials said.

The state long has been active in promoting smoking cessation and in limiting smoking in public places. In a news release, Dr. David R. Gifford, the state health director, said joining this campaign would give the state access to a new range of national resources.

An estimated 19 percent of Rhode Island adults smoke.

Last week week, the state launched EX television and radio ads with the local 1-800-Try-To-Stop quit line number. The ads aim to be “intriguing and humorous,” and rather than stress the reasons for quitting, they focus on helping smokers who want to quit by steering them toward free resources and proven smoking cessation strategies.

The EX campaign is built on the notion of “re-learning life without cigarettes.” It encourages smokers to “re-learn” their thinking so they can overcome smoking triggers; “re-learn” their knowledge of addiction and how medications can help them quit; and “re-learn” their ideas about how friends and family members can play a critical role in quitting.

As a founding member of the project, Rhode Island will get educational materials, a Web site, and localized, culturally tailored promotional materials.

The EX tools were designed in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic and with input from former and current smokers. To learn more, go to BecomeAnEx.org or www.health.ri.gov.