Tobacco Cessation

Project ID: 4.b.i

Project Name:

Tobacco Cessation

Project Description:

Promote tobacco use cessation, especially among low SES populations and those with poor mental health. (Focus Area 2; Goal #2.2)

Project Chairs:

Roy Korn, MD, Bassett Medical Center

Norine Hodges, Schoharie County Council on Alcoholism

Objective:

To decrease the prevalence of cigarette smoking by adults 18 and older; Increase use of tobacco cessation services including NYS Smokers’ Quitline and nicotine replacement products.

Rationale and Relationship to Other Projects:

Tobacco addiction is the leading preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in New York State (NYS). Cigarette use, alone, results in an estimated 25,000 deaths in NYS. There are estimated to be 570,000 New Yorkers afflicted with serious disease directly attributable to their smoking. The list of illnesses caused by tobacco use is long and contains many of the most common causes of death. These include many forms of cancer, including lung and oral; heart disease; stroke; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other lung diseases.

The economic costs of tobacco use in NYS are staggering. Smoking-attributable health care costs are $8.2 billion annually, including $3.3 billion in annual Medicaid expenditures. In addition, smoking-related illnesses result in $6 billion in lost productivity.18 Reducing tobacco use has the potential to save NYS taxpayers billions of dollars every year.

Although there have been substantial reductions in adult smoking in NYS, some tobacco use disparities have become more pronounced over the past decade. Smoking rates did not decline among low-socioeconomic status adults and adults with poor mental health.

Core Components:

Healthcare Delivery System Sector Projects:

PPS must show implementation of all sector projects in their project plan. The implementation must address a specific need identified in the community assessment and address the full service area population.

  1. Adopt tobacco-free outdoor policies.
  2. Implement the US Public Health Services Guidelines for Treating Tobacco Use.
  3. Use electronic medical records to prompt providers to complete 5 A’s (Ask, Assess, Advise, Assist, and Arrange).
  4. Facilitate referrals to the NYS Smokers’ Quitline.
  5. Increase Medicaid and other health plan coverage of tobacco dependence treatment counseling and medications.
  6. Promote smoking cessation benefits among Medicaid providers.
  7. Create universal, consistent health insurance benefits for prescription and over-the-counter cessation medications.
  8. Promote cessation counseling among all smokers, including people with disabilities.