Quitting is difficult but not impossible. Convenient access to support systems and resources makes quitting a little easier. Joy Gray, branch chief of Be Well Arkansas, the state’s tobacco prevention and cessation program funded by the Arkansas Department of Health, recently went on AFMC TV to discuss a 24/7 call center anyone can call to help quit. Be Well Arkansas provides this and many other services to help ease the journey to quitting for the 20.5% of the population who smoke and the 26.3% of high schoolers who use tobacco, according to the American Lung Association.
You can call to quit.
“If you need help quitting vaping, smoking, dipping, or using any substance that contains nicotine, call us, and we can help you quit,” Joy says.
When you do call the Be Well QuitLine, you’re not speaking to someone across the U.S. You’re speaking to an Arkansan. “We’re the only QuitLine in the U.S. that is operated by callers in the state and funded by a state agency,” Joy explains. “So, when you call Be Well Arkansas, you’re talking to someone right here in Little Rock.”
Who can call?
The Be Well Arkansas QuitLine is available to anyone ages 13 and up who needs help quitting. “We provide free counseling for every caller and nicotine patches and lozenges for anyone over 18 who weighs 100 lbs.,” Joy says. “As long as you meet those criteria, you can benefit from calling.”
Encouraging providers to ask, revise, and refer
Be Well Arkansas is more than a QuitLine. In addition to working directly with patients, Be Well staff also go out into the field and talk to healthcare professionals who may interact with patients who smoke or use nicotine. “We encourage healthcare professionals to ask, revise, and refer,” Joy says.
Ask the patient about tobacco use (including vaping). Starting the conversation is one of the most important pieces. Opening the door for your patients to discuss their addiction is the first step in getting the help they need to quit.
Advise the patient on ways they can improve their health if they quit. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, quitting has several benefits. Quitting smoking and using nicotine enhances your life expectancy by up to 10 years and reduces your risk for many adverse health effects, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Refer the patient to Be Well Arkansas. Provide them with the number for the QuitLine. Be Well Arkansas sends out information and materials healthcare professionals can give to patients to use whenever they’re ready to quit.
Ask, Revise, and Refer is not just for Doctors.
“Our ask, revise, refer model is also useful for veterinarians, dental offices, and any professional who interacts with individuals who smoke or use nicotine,” Joy says.
Be Well Arkansas created materials for non-traditional partners based on the idea that people have several reasons for wanting to quit. “Sometimes people decide they want to quit because they just got brand new porcelain veneers, they don’t want to stain,” Joy explains. “Other times, they may have adopted a new pet, and they don’t want to cause their new dog, cat, or bird to get sick from secondhand smoke. That’s why we send fliers and handouts to dentists’ and veterinarians’ offices so that patients in those offices can realize ‘Hey, I can call Be Well and I can quit.’”
The feedback in these “non-traditional” places has been positive. “We have vets who tell us that this opened the door for them to talk with their clients about quitting without the client feeling judged,” Joy says. People see the signs, fliers, and handouts at these common locations, and they give Be Well Arkansas a call.
If you work with people who might be smokers, Be Well Arkansas provides free training twice per year through the Health Department, where you can receive continuing education credits if you have a licensure in the medical field.
This week-long program, called Tobacco Treatment Specialists or TTS, teaches people how to talk to others about tobacco and includes motivational interviewing techniques. “You learn a little about pharmacology and other nicotine’s interactions with drugs so you can have a good, competent conversation with people about quitting,” Joy explains.
“This program is totally free. If you were to take the course yourself, you’d spend around $1500 per person. Through our TTS program, we cover all of it.”
“Whatever kind of office or business you have, if you want your staff or customers to be healthy and quit smoking, we can help you gather resources and materials you can id to people so they know where they can go and whom they can call to quit,” Joy says.
Additional Support for Menthol Smokers
After attending a nationwide CDC event, Joy and her staff realized that menthol cigarettes are a bigger issue in Arkansas than most people realize. Menthol cigarettes are often easier to get addicted to and harder to quit, making the journey even harder. “They make menthols taste good. They’re very palatable, so people get addicted very easily,” Joy explains.
With this in mind, Be Well Arkansas created an additional support program specifically for menthol smokers.
“If you call Be Well Arkansas and you identify as a menthol smoker, you get extra counseling and extra nicotine replacement therapies, or NRTs,” Joy says.
Be Well Baby Provides Support for Pregnant Smokers.
Be Well Arkansas created a separate program for pregnant smokers. There are several myths regarding the harmful effects of quitting while you’re pregnant. Quitting is 100% safe for you and your baby.
“We provide counseling to pregnant mothers who want to quit. As you matriculate through the program, you receive vouchers for free diapers and baby wipes redeemable at Wal-Mart and Walmart.com,” Joy says. “We talk to mothers about the program, how quitting benefits their baby, and how they can earn incentives along the way.”
If you’re pregnant, and you live with someone who smokes, they can enroll in the program and also earn vouchers. If you are a pregnant smoker and you live with someone who smokes, both of you can enroll in the program and earn vouchers.
“While some babies may go through diapers quickly, with the vouchers you can get a week’s worth of diapers for free,” Joy explains. “So you’re saving money in the long run.”
Worksite Wellness
Despite being commonly known as a resource for those who wish to quit, Be Well Arkansas also provides information on starting up a worksite wellness program within your organization.
“Anyone who wants to start a wellness program can give us a call, and we’ll talk to them about ways they can offer incentives to reward staff who quit smoking and remain tobacco and smoke-free,” Joy explains.
Staff who are smoke-free use fewer sick days, have cheaper insurance premiums, and live healthier lives.
Access Useful Tools Online and by Phone.
You can find a list of tools and materials for those who wish to quit smoking by visiting bewellarkansas.org or calling 1-833-283-9355 (1-833-283-WELL).
“If you’re a provider or someone who wishes to gather some materials, we have nice little cards to send you,” Joy adds. “Go to bewellarkansas.org. Click the button at the top that says Health Care Provider. When you click that, it takes you to a page with a button that says Free Resources. From there, you can order cards, posters, lanyards, magnets, and all sorts of cool things that we give out and ship free across the state.”
With these cards, if you’re referring someone to the Be Well QuitLine, all you have to do is hand them a card and say, “Call this number.” It’s that easy.
“We’ve done everything we can to make it super simple and easy. We have all sorts of materials, and they’re all free,” Joy says.
The journey to a smoke-and-tobacco-free life may be challenging, but there are people out there who want to support you along the way. The benefits far outweigh the temporary struggles. Taking the first steps to quit paves the way for a healthier life.
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