Tobacco Cessation Assistance

Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the US, yet more than 46 million Americans still smoke. However, more than half of these smokers have attempted to quit for at least one day in the past year.

Quitting smoking is hard, but you can increase your chances of success with help.  Educating yourself, making a plan, using online resources, enlisting the help of family and friends, and talking to your doctor about tobacco treatment medications and counseling are all ways that you can use to increase your chances of success.

The National Cancer Institute's website, www.smokefree.gov has information, tools, calculators and resources to help you quit smoking.

American Cancer Society Resources:

Guide to Quitting Smoking (.pdf)
Guide to Quitting Smoking
Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time
Calculate the Cost of Smoking

   Top Ten Reasons to 
       Quit Smoking

 1. I will reduce my chances of having a heart attack or stroke. 
 2. I will reduce my chances of getting lung cancer, emphysema, and other lung diseases.
 3. I will have better smelling clothes, hair, breath, home, and car.
 4. I will climb stairs and walk without getting out of breath.
 5. I will have fewer wrinkles.
 6. I will be free of my morning cough.
 7. I will reduce the number of coughs, colds, and earaches my child will have.
 8. I will have more energy to pursue physical activities I enjoy.
 9. I will treat myself to new books or music with the money I save from not buying cigarettes.
 10. I will have more control over my life.
(from the National Institutes of Health)

Employee Assistance Program

The EAP offers free, confidential assistance to stop tobacco use. Services include free face-to-face sessions for assessment, intervention and referral to community resources.

The EAP also offers Thought for the Day, a weekly email that encourages all attempts to be tobacco free and affirms the decision to stop use of tobacco. Thought for the Day consists of an inspirational quote followed by a short message of support.

Call the EAP at 1-800-322-5327 to get started!
Click here for more information and resources.

UMass Medical School Tobacco Consultation Service

The UMass Tobacco Consultation Service (TCS) provides the latest, evidence-based treatment approaches to:

  •  Aid patients with nicotine withdrawal management while in a clinical setting

  •  Provide supportive behavior treatment to promote tobacco cessation


Quitworks


Free Nicotine Patches: by referral from your primary care physician, you are eligible for two weeks free NRT/patches. Call your primary care physician to obtain referral.

QuitWorks is an evidence-based referral service that connects patients to phone –based counseling to help them stop smoking. Now, for a limited time, you can receive a free two-week supply of nicotine patches - in addition to free, phone-based counselingSmokers who quit using medication and counseling together are more than twice as likely to quit smoking for good.

If you are a resident of Massachusetts, Rhode Island or New Hampshire, QuitWorks offers free, confidential services to help with quitting tobacco, whether you are thinking about quitting, or you are ready to quit, or you have already quit. Services are available in English and Spanish; translation is available for persons who speak languages other than English and Spanish. QuitWorks offers:

  • Intake, assessment and brief motivational call
  • Five telephone-based counseling sessions
  • Referral to community tobacco treatment programs
  • Follow-up calls at seven months

Call 1-800-Quit-Now (1-800-784-8669) to access the MA Smokers’ Helpline.
Check out the Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program website at www.makesmokinghistory.org.

UMASS MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER

Tobacco Treatment and Counseling Services    774-442-4372

“Using a combination of behavioral counseling and pharmacotherapy has been shown to give smokers the greatest chanceof success in quitting smoking.”

If you are an employee or patient of UMassMemorial and you need help to quit smoking, we have several counseling services available to you:

SMOKING CESSATION COUNSELING FOR AMBULATORY PATIENTS:
Individual counseling hours: Tuesdays, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm at the
     Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic
     361 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA-01605 
     To request an appointment call: 508-334-5393

Group counseling: Tuesdays, from 4:00 to 5:00 PM (ongoing drop-in classes)
      For the initial screening and enrollment call: 508-334-5393

Also for general information, telephone counseling or questions related to tobacco treatment medications, call our tobacco counseling center: 774-442-4372.

SMOKING CESSATION COUNSELING FOR INPATIENTS:
All tobacco users that come to UMassMemorial as inpatients are asked about their nicotine addiction and offered medication to cope with withdrawal symptoms. Individual counseling service is also available, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. To request this service speak with your health care provider or call directly 774-442-4372 and a tobacco treatment specialist will come to your room for an initial assessment and follow-up recommendations

TOBACCO TREATMENT MEDICATIONS:
Most health insurance plans, including Mass Health (Medicare, Medicaid) cover the nicotine patch, the gum and other tobacco treatment medications. The main requirement is to have a prescription signed by your primary care provider. Some plans will also ask you to enroll in a tobacco counseling program.

TOBACCO TREATMENT TELEPHONE COUNSELING:
Massachusetts has a wonderful tobacco treatment telephone counseling service. To access it call: 1 800 TRY-TO-STOP or 1 800 879-8678. You can also access this service by asking your medical provider to complete and submit a QuitWorks form. This form needs to be signed by you.

FIND A MEETING:
If you want to join a local group to help you quit smoking, you can get the information on the Internet: https://www.nicotine-anonymous.org. Indicate your state and hometown for local listings.