Services Offered:
1) Referral to ULM Counseling Center
2) Prescription for Chantix ($130) - Medicaid eligibility

Contact: Yolanda Camper
Director of Student Health Services
318-342-3306
camper@ulm.edu

Services Offered:
Not anything specific. ULM's College of Pharmacy accepts money from tobacco companies for cancer research, not eligible for TFL (Tobacco-Free Living) grants.

Contact: ULM Counseling Center
318-342-5220

Services Offered:
1) Freedom from Smoking (FFS) by ALA
2) Tobacco Control Initiative (TCI) – free by Louisiana Department of Health - 318-330-7757 or 318-330-7257
3) Resources- Free brochures and pamphlets on smoking and dipping available nationally.

Contact: 318-398-7248 or 318-398-9603
Toll-free hotline: 1-800-ACS-2345 (1-800-227-2345)
www.cancer.org

Services Offered:
1) The American Heart Association Web site contains fact sheets to quit smoking.
2) Cost of Smoking Calculator: How much does it cost to smoke? Use this calculator to find out. Saving money is just one more good reason to quit smoking.

The American Heart Association does not provide local or national resources.

Alexandria: 1412 Centre Court Drive
Suite 412,
Alexandria, LA 71301
318-767-5700

Jackson:
4830 McWillie Circle
Jackson, MS 39206
601-321-1200

Services Offered:
ALA offers telephone counseling, online services, and face-to-face clinic counseling. All include resource materials including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) - Half price or discount coupons.

1) Telephone counseling, 1-800-LUNG-USA to speak with RN's, RT's, and behavioral health counselors. (Free Service)
2) Online services link www.ffsonline.org (Free Service)
3) Face-to-face counseling and group therapy clinics at Christus Schumpert and Willis-Knighton in Shreveport. No clinics available in Monroe. ($40)


Contact: 1-800-586-4872 or www.lungusa.org

The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) offers several state-wide services to provide counseling and support to people ready to quit.

1) The Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW provides free and confidential advice and support to Louisiana residents, ages 13 and older, ready to quit smoking. Certified counseling is available in English and Spanish, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to help callers kick the habit and improve the quality of their lives.

The Louisiana Tobacco Quitline, operated by the American Cancer Society and funded by The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living, is available to Louisiana residents for help to quit smoking. Smoking cessation counselors help callers develop personalized quit plans by providing the following information:

• Materials based on their interest in smoking cessation and readiness to quit
• Referrals to free group therapy classes in the area
• Proactive telephone counseling for callers ready to quit.

When service to The Louisiana Tobacco Quitline is not available, smokers can call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 (1-800-227-2345) to learn about the benefits of tobacco cessation or to find where to get help in their area.

2) Freedom From Smoking (FFS) Clinics, created by the American Lung Association, offer free, walk-in assistance to those who want to quit smoking and prefer a group approach. Certified smoking cessation facilitators lead the eight-session, five-week program and give participants class instruction and supplementary materials to develop their own quitting plan. The eight-session, five-week group program is led by certified smoking cessation facilitators, who give participants class instruction and supplementary materials to develop their own quitting plan with several components:

• Dealing with recovery symptoms
• Controlling weight
• Managing stress through relaxation techniques
• Being ready to fight urges to smoke

Participants in the class learn techniques for cognitive control and relaxation and receive information about how to use helpful gadgets, diets and support systems to complete smoking cessation.

The eight-session format provides for tracking personal habits, developing coping strategies and practicing in a supportive environment with others who are experiencing the same feelings and challenges. For many smokers especially those who have tried to quit before group support can make the difference in helping to stay smoke free.

To find free, walk-in assistance to help you quit smoking, call 1-800-LUNG-USA

3) The Tobacco Control Initiative (TCI) implements and evaluates multi-level tobacco cessation services in Louisiana’s 10 public hospitals. TCI combines behavioral counseling, social support and pharmacotherapy at each hospital to assist patients in their effort to discontinue tobacco use with evidence-based treatment.

4) Through the Make Yours a Fresh Start Family (MYFSF) program and the Rapides Tobacco Control Initiative, TFL offers training to physicians and other healthcare professionals to help mothers quit smoking through one-on-one counseling during regularly scheduled appointments. Women in the perinatal period are more likely to be willing to quit smoking, so it is a perfect time for provider-initiated intervention.

More information is available at the LPHI Web site.

Tobacco and Your Health

The following information was obtained from Table 1-1 in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Guide "Making Your Workplace Smokefree: A Decisions Maker’s Guide".

A full version of this guide is available for download at www.fourcorners.ne.gov/documents/MakingYourWorkplaceSmokefree.pdf.

Additional tobacco and health-related resources are available from the Center of Disease Control Web site at:
www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/secondhand_smoke.

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Health Consequences of Tobacco Use

Mortality and Morbidity
• Results in premature death
• Causes significant disease and disability

Cardiovascular Effects
• A cause of coronary heart disease
• A cause of cerebrovascular disease (stroke)
• A cause of atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease

Cancer
• A cause of cancer of the oral cavity (lip, tongue, mouth, and pharynx)
• A cause of lung cancer
• A cause of laryngeal cancer
• A contributing factor for renal cancer
• A cause of esophageal cancer
• A cause of bladder cancer
• Associated with gastric cancer

Lung Diseases
• A cause of chronic bronchitis
• A cause of emphysema

Women’s Health Effects
• A cause of intrauterine growth retardation, leading to low birth weight babies
• A contributing factor for cervical cancer
• A probable cause of unsuccessful pregnancies

Other Health Effects
• Addiction to nicotine
• Adverse interactions with occupational hazards that increase the risk of cancer
• Alteration of the actions and effects of prescription and nonprescription medications
• A probable cause of peptic ulcer disease

Health Consequences of Environmental Tobacco Smoke
• A cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers
• Associated with higher death rates from cardiovascular disease in non-smokers
• In children, associated with respiratory tract infections, increase prevalence of fluid in the middle ear, additional episodes of asthma, and increased severity of symptoms in children with asthma, and a risk factor for new onset of asthma in children who have not previously displayed symptoms
• Associated with increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
• Associated with increased irritant effects, particularly eye irritation, among allergic persons

"Quit With Us, Louisiana" online cessation resource helps Louisiana tobacco users quit on their own terms.

Making the decision to quit using tobacco is a critical first step toward conquering nicotine addictions. With the launch of Louisiana's new comprehensive online cessation source — www.QuitWithUsLA.org — "The Quit With Us, Louisiana" Web site empowers tobacco users with important information and tips for quitting, and offers links to online resources and free statewide cessation programs — all accessible from a single location, including:

• The Louisiana Tobacco Quitline, 1-800-QUIT-NOW - free and confidential advice and support by telephone for Louisiana residents, ages 13 and older, who are interested in or ready to quit smoking. Certified quit counseling is available in English, Spanish and other languages, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• Group Cessation Counseling - group cessation counseling classes offered through the American Lung Association's Freedom from Smoking Clinics and the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center.
• The Tobacco Control Initiative (TCI) - tobacco cessation resources and services within public hospitals throughout Louisiana. Cessation resources and services provided by TCI combine behavioral counseling, social support, and pharmacotherapy to assist patients in their efforts to discontinue tobacco use.

In addition to tools aimed at tobacco users, www.QuitWithUsLA.org features a special section for healthcare providers. The section outlines programs and resources that physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers can employ to assist patients, including new and expectant mothers, to quit smoking through one-on-one counseling during regularly scheduled appointments or through cessation program referrals.

Approximately 23.4% of adults and 25% of youth in Louisiana are smokers. Research shows that smoke-free laws decrease daily consumption of tobacco and increase cessation among smokers. Since The Louisiana Smoke-Free Air Act went into effect January 1, 2007, nearly 7,500 tobacco users across the state have sought counseling and information about quitting with calls to The Louisiana Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW) and more than 10,500 patients received cessation services through Louisiana's public hospital system.

"The Quit With Us, Louisiana" Web site is a great starting point for smokers who are considering quitting and a valuable tool for those who stand firm with their decision to quit," says Tiffany Netters, Cessation Program Monitor for The Louisiana Tobacco Control Program. "We think tobacco users will appreciate the anonymity, accessibility and ease of going online to seek information and help from a single source."

A statewide radio campaign will promote the new Quit With Us, Louisiana Web-based cessation resource to Louisiana tobacco users.
To learn more about Louisiana's comprehensive cessation resources, visit www.QuitWithUsLA.org.