quitline Archives - Medical Association of the State of Alabama

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‘Through With Chew Week’ Highlights Dangers of Smokeless Tobacco Use

Posted by admin on February 15, 2019

Smokeless tobacco may not be getting as much press as e-cigarettes and vaping, but it is as addictive and has many harmful side effects. The Medical Association is joining with the Alabama Department of Public Health to encourage smokeless tobacco users to quit the spit during “Through With Chew Week,” Feb. 18-22.

The education campaign to decrease smokeless tobacco use and increase awareness of the negative health effects of using these products is an annual event begun in 1989 by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

In Alabama, 6.3 percent of adults surveyed were current smokeless tobacco users, according to the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. More than 9 percent of Alabama teens overall cited smokeless tobacco use in the past 30 days, according to the 2016 Alabama Youth Tobacco Survey, with 20.4 percent of high school students saying they had tried smokeless tobacco. Middle school students’ use of smokeless tobacco decreased from 6.7 percent in 2014 to 4.0 percent in 2016.

“Smokeless does not mean harmless,” said Julie Hare, Alabama Tobacco Quitline director. “Smokeless tobacco use can cause oral, esophageal and pancreatic cancers, and lead to tooth loss and gum recession,” she said. At least 28 cancer-causing chemicals have been found in smokeless tobacco, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Young people who use smokeless tobacco can become addicted to the nicotine it contains, making them more likely to also become cigarette smokers, Hare said.

Those who want to be “Through With Chew” can call the Quitline (1-800-Quit-Now) for help in quitting. Quitline coaching services are available seven days a week from 6 a.m. to midnight. Services are offered online at www.quitnowalabama.com.

The Quitline provides free, individualized coaching to help any type of smoker and smokeless tobacco user, including e-cigarettes and vape, to quit. In addition, the Quitline offers up to eight weeks of free nicotine patches to those medically eligible enrolled in the coaching program.

For free help to be “Through With Chew,” call the Quitline at 1-800-784-8669 or visit www.quitnowalabama.com.

Tags: cancer, chew, quitline, smokeless, tobacco

Posted in: Health

Call It Quits Nov. 15! Join the Great American Smokeout!

Posted by admin on November 14, 2018

Smokers who want to quit tobacco can use their fingers to dial for free help instead of lighting up a cigarette. On Thursday, Nov. 15, the Great American Smokeout challenges smokers and vapers to take the first step by quitting for the day or making a plan to quit for good.

Callers in Alabama can dial 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669) to reach the AlabamaDepartment of Public Health’s Tobacco Quitline. Enrollment in the free program can provide the caller an individualized quit plan, counseling from certified tobacco treatment specialists, and up to eight weeks of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) patches if the caller is medically eligible and enrolled in the program.

In Alabama, 20.9 percent of adults are smokers compared to the national rate of 17.1 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Smoking is the number one cause of preventable death and disease in the nation and kills more than 8,600 adults in Alabama each year. Annually, the state spends more than $1.88 billion in health care costs directly caused by smoking.

“Tobacco use doesn’t just harm the smoker,” said Julie Hare, ADPH Tobacco Prevention and Control Program’s cessation manager. “Secondhand smoke can cause adverse health effects for anyone exposed.” CDC’s Tips from Former Smokers national advertising campaign which shows the cost for patients living with a tobacco-caused disease and the effect on their families has inspired thousands of Alabamians to call the Quitline for help, she said.

Tobacco users and vapers can also register for services online at quitnowalabama.com. The Quitline is open from 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week.

Medicaid callers are offered Quitline counseling but are referred to Medicaid’s program to obtain their medications. “Medicaid pays for a full course of any of the seven Food and Drug Administration-approved medications to help quit tobacco,” Hare said. “Smokers who want to quit should ask their private insurance carrier about medication coverage,” she said. “Under the Affordable Care Act, tobacco cessation is required to be covered as a preventive service.”

Hare said other ways to reduce smoking include the adoption of comprehensive smoke-free policies in cities. Some 32 Alabama cities have adopted smoke-free ordinances that prohibit tobacco use in workplaces, including restaurants and bars. At least half of those ordinances include e-cigarettes, she said.

The American Cancer Society has sponsored the Great American Smokeout since 1975.

Tags: health, nicotine, quit, quitline, smoke, tobacco

Posted in: Health

Quitline: Free Help for Patients to Quit Smoking

Posted by admin on June 21, 2018

The Alabama Tobacco Quitline is a free telephone (800-784-8669) and online counseling service for your patients who are ready to quit tobacco. The Quitline is open from 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week. All Quitline services are free to Alabama residents including telephone and online coaching, printed support materials, and up to eight weeks of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) patches, if enrolled in coaching and medically eligible.

Health care providers are encouraged to refer patients directly to the Quitline by faxing a referral form to 1-800-692-9023 or completing an electronic referral form. Both forms are available at www.quitnowalabama.com. The Quitline will contact the referred patient within 24 hours of receiving a referral to enroll the patient in the Quitline counseling program. Once the patient has enrolled in the program and begun counseling, a two-week supply of NRT is mailed directly to the patient. The Quitline can provide up to eight weeks of NRT as long as the patient is enrolled in the counseling program and medically eligible.

The Quitline is funded through the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The program is available to help callers quit any type of tobacco use.

For Medicaid Patients…

Medicaid patients are required to get their medications through Medicaid services. Medicaid pays for any of the seven approved cessation medications if the following documentation is submitted: both the Medicaid Pharmacy Smoking Cessation Prior Authorization Request form and Quitline referral form should be faxed to Health Information Design, 1-800-748-0116, and the Quitline referral form should be faxed to the Quitline at 1-800-692-9023. Free counseling services are available to Medicaid patients through the Quitline.

Approved cessation medications include nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers, nasal spray, varenicline and Bupropion SR, according to Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence, U.S. Clinical Practice Guidelines, 2008.

The Quitline fax referral forms, both English and Spanish versions, and the Medicaid Pharmacy Smoking Cessation Prior Authorization Request Form can be found at www.quitnowalabama.com.

For more information about the Alabama Tobacco Quitline, or to order Quitline materials for your office, call Julie Hare at (334) 206-3830 or email Julie.Hare@adph.state.al.us. Visit www.quitnowalabama.com and www.adph.org/tobacco, click on Healthcare Providers.

Tags: adph, nicotine, quitline, tobacco

Posted in: Health