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Kristin Harms

Recent Posts

New Provider Toolkit: Online Referral Options to Tobacco Treatment

Posted by Kristin Harms

Mar 6, 2017 12:50:27 PM

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Download our free Provider Toolkit, Online Referral Options to Evidence-Based Tobacco Treatment, from the California Smokers’ Helpline and its training and technical assistance arm, the Center for Tobacco Cessation.

In 2015, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) determined that the California Smokers’ Helpline meets the Specialized Registry Reporting measure. Eligible professionals can choose to report smokers to the Helpline as part of their Meaningful Use Compliance.

The Helpline offers a variety of options for referring patients and clients to the Helpline's evidence-based telephone counseling for quitting smoking, including web-based referral, DIRECT messaging, and other Internet options.

Kristin Harms and Carrie Kirby with the California Smokers' Helpline describe the various options available for referring patients online to the Helpline including cost, technology requirements, and fulfillment of Meaningful Use Requirements.

Our free toolkit includes:

  • Webinar recording and slide deck
  • Provider flyer: Online Referral Options

Download Now!


 

FREE Webinar: Online Referral Options to Evidence-Based Tobacco Treatment

Posted by Kristin Harms

Feb 22, 2017 12:43:42 PM

JyothiMarbin_stethoscope.jpgThe California Smokers’ Helpline and its training and technical assistance arm, the Center for Tobacco Cessation, are pleased to host this free webinar on Wednesday, March 1st from noon to 1 pm PST, Online Referral Options to Evidence-Based Tobacco Treatment.

Webinar Overview

The California Smokers' Helpline offers a variety of options for referring patients and clients to the Helpline's evidence-based telephone counseling for quitting smoking, including web-based referral, DIRECT messaging, and other Internet options.

In 2015, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) determined that the California Smokers’ Helpline meets the Specialized Registry Reporting measure. Eligible professionals can choose to report smokers to the Helpline as part of their Meaningful Use Compliance.

Learn about the various options available for referring patients online to the Helpline, including cost, technology requirements, and fulfillment of Meaningful Use Requirements. Online referral offers health care providers a number of benefits:

  • Easy, convenient, secure
  • Referral to quitlines is associated with a significantly higher participation rate than simple advice to quit
  • Helps healthcare systems achieve and document Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records

Register Now!

Presenters

  • Kristin Harms, Communications Manager, California Smokers' Helpline
  • Carrie Kirby, M.S., Project Manager, California Smokers' Helpline
  • Anthony Mayoral, Director of Operations and IT, California Smokers' Helpline


New Provider Toolkit: Child Health Providers Helping Family Members Quit Tobacco Use

Posted by Kristin Harms

Feb 1, 2017 2:51:34 PM

Children_and_Tobacco_Toolkit_Image.jpgIf you missed our webinar on January 18th, you can download our new provider toolkit, Child Health Providers Helping Family Members Quit Tobacco Use.

In this recorded webinar, Jonathan Winickoff, MD, MPH and Jyothi Marbin, MD discuss the impact of tobacco use on families, and list ways in which child health practices can effectively treat tobacco users in a family. They also describe how to implement the basic 3 step CEASE model in a busy office practice and share information about policies that can mitigate tobacco exposure in children.

Our free toolkit includes:

  • Webinar Recording and Slide Deck
  • Patient Fact Sheets:
    • What's in Cigarette Smoke?
    • Secondhand Smoke
    • Quit Aids

Download Now!


 

HUD Public Housing to be Smoke-Free

Posted by Kristin Harms

Nov 30, 2016 6:38:20 PM

HUD No. 16-184
Brian Sullivan
(202) 708-0685
FOR RELEASE
Wednesday
November 30, 2016
 
New rule protects health and safety of residents, saves PHAs millions of dollars in preventable damage

WASHINGTON - U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro today announced that public housing developments in the U.S. will now be required to provide a smoke-free environment for their residents. In an address to local public housing officials, residents and public health professionals in Boston, Secretary Castro said HUD's new rule will provide resources and support to more than 3,100 Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) to implement required smoke-free policies over the next 18 months. Read HUD's final rule.

Throughout this year, HUD worked with PHAs and stakeholders collaboratively to finalize this rule, which prohibits lit tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars or pipes) in all living units, indoor common areas, administrative offices and all outdoor areas within 25 feet of housing and administrative office buildings. HUD's final rule included input from more than 1,000 comments from PHAs, housing and health partners, and tenant advocates.

"Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, healthy home free from harmful second-hand cigarette smoke," said Secretary Castro. "HUD's smoke-free rule is a reflection of our commitment to using housing as a platform to create healthy communities. By working collaboratively with public housing agencies, HUD's rule will create healthier homes for all of our families and prevent devastating and costly smoking-related fires."

Since 2009, HUD has strongly encouraged PHAs to adopt smoke-free policies in their buildings and common areas, a policy many private housing developments already have in place. During this time, more than 600 PHAs and Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) have adopted smoke-free policies.Through HUD's voluntary policy and local initiatives, more than 228,000 public housing units are already smoke-free. Once fully implemented, the smoke-free rule announced today would expand the impact to more than 940,000 public housing units, including more than 500,000 units inhabited by elderly residents and 760,000 children living in public housing.

"My office has long warned the public about the dangers of smoking, including second-hand smoke," said U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy. "For children who are exposed to second-hand smoke, it can mean everything from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and ear infections to asthma. Protecting our children and families from the devastation caused by secondhand smoke must be a priority for all sectors of our society, including public housing."

HUD's smoke-free rule will reduce damage and maintenance costs associated with smoking. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HUD's national smoke-free policy will save public housing agencies $153 million every year in repairs and preventable fires, including $94 million in secondhand smoke-related health care, $43 million in renovation of smoking-permitted units, and $16 million in smoking-related fire losses.It is estimated that smoking causes more than 100,000 fires each year nationwide, resulting in more than 500 deaths and nearly a half a billion dollars in direct property damage.

"Protecting people from secondhand smoke saves lives and saves money," said CDC Director, Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "This is especially important in the places where we live. No level of secondhand smoke exposure is safe, and the home is the primary source of secondhand smoke for children."

The CDC estimates cigarette smoking kills 480,000 Americans each year, making it the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. In addition, smoking is the lead cause of fire-related deaths in multifamily buildings. HUD's smoke-free rule will protect the health of public housing residents by reducing the health risks associated with tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke.

PHAs are encouraged to take advantage of the information and resources on HUD's Healthy Homes website. Updated guidance and training materials will be available in the coming months.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.
More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet
at www.hud.gov and http://espanol.hud.gov.


 

Top 10 Tips for Quitting Smoking in the New Year!

Posted by Kristin Harms

Nov 28, 2016 4:08:18 PM

The New Year is a perfect time to encourage your patients and clients who smoke to make a quit attempt. To help smokers stay quit, the California Smokers' Helpline is offering its Top 10 Tips to Help Smokers Quit flyers in six languages.

Download Now!

Quit attempts are vitally important to population-based cessation as most tobacco users must try repeatedly to quit before they succeed. Fortunately, 70% of smokers say they want to quit. And, asking and advising a patient to quit can actually double the chance that he or she will try. 

So, take this opportunity before the New Year to ask all your patients if they smoke, advise them to quit, and provide them with our Top 10 Tips to Help Smokers Quit flyer. For smokers who need additional support, refer them to 1-800-NO-BUTTS (1-800-662-8887) our to our online registration form for free help and a plan to quit.


 

New Provider Toolkit: Youth and Tobacco

Posted by Kristin Harms

Oct 27, 2016 11:07:27 PM

California_Smokers_Hotline_32.jpgThe California Smokers’ Helpline and its training and technical assistance arm, the Center for Tobacco Cessation, are pleased to offer this free Provider Toolkit, Youth and Tobacco, including:

  • Recorded Webinar and Slide Deck: Youth and Tobacco, presented by Kimberlee Homer Vagadori,  Project Director for the California Youth Advocacy Network (CYAN).
  • Patient Handouts: Cigars, Hookah, Marijuana

Tobacco use trends among youth have shifted in recent years.  As cigarette smoking rates decrease, use of other tobacco and nicotine products is increasing.  This webinar highlights changes in tobacco use by teens and explore the factors that contribute to youth use.  Information is also shared about how to encourage teens to quit, and how to engage youth in activities to prevent addiction to tobacco.

Download Now!


 

Free, New Patient Materials from the California Smokers' Helpline

Posted by Kristin Harms

Sep 22, 2016 4:34:08 PM

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The California Smokers' Helpline is pleased to offer free, new patient materials in English and Spanish, targeted to smokers who are pregnant or have children age 5 and under. These materials are available free of charge and shipping, and while there is no maximum order size, each order must total a minimum of 25 pieces.

In addition to promoting the Helpline's free evidence-based telephone counseling services, the materials promote free nicotine patches for qualified smokers who are pregnant or have children age 5 or under, mailed directly from the Helpline.

Helpline staff screen callers who request nicotine patches for contraindications, including pregnancy. For callers with contraindications, physician approval is required.

These new materials and free nicotine patches are made possible by funding from First 5 California.

Order Materials Now!


 

Free CE Course: Smoking and Anxiety

Posted by Kristin Harms

Aug 29, 2016 3:07:30 PM

Older-Woman.jpgThe California Smokers’ Helpline is pleased to ofer this free recorded webinar, How to Talk with Patients About Smoking Cessation and Anxiety.

The relationship between anxiety and smoking is a significant concern among health professionals. Smokers often use cigarettes to help them manage anxiety. This reliance on cigarettes to reduce anxiety can keep smokers from even trying to quit. And if they do quit, anxiety can trigger relapse. This webinar will address key strategies to help smokers with anxiety to quit.

Click below to complete the form and you’ll be able to watch the webinar and download the course materials. You can also take the course for 1.0 free CE credit. The following credits are being offered: CA BBS, APA, ASWB, CAADE, and CME.

Get Started Now

Target Audience

This course is designed for primary care providers and behavioral health professionals interested in the most current research and effective interventions surrounding smoking cessation and anxiety.

Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to:

  • Discuss the evidence regarding tobacco use among patients with anxiety
  • Talk with patients or clients about the relationship between anxiety and tobacco cessation
  • Identify and implement evidence-based treatment for treating tobacco dependence

Presenter

Megan Piper, PhD

Megan-Piper.jpgDr. Piper is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Associate Director of Research at UW-Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention and an Assistant Professor in the University of Wisconsin Department of Medicine. Her research focuses on understanding and treating tobacco dependence, with an additional interest in different populations of smokers who have more difficulty quitting, such as women and smokers with mental illness. Dr. Piper began her research on tobacco treatment in 1999 when she collaborated on the Public Health Service Guideline: Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence that was published in 2000. She then served as the Project Scientist for the 2008 PHS Guideline update. In 2014 she received the Russell-Jarvik Young Investigator Award for her contributions to the field from the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.


 

Health care providers missing important opportunity to help smokers quit

Posted by Kristin Harms

Aug 15, 2016 1:37:12 PM

Providers' advice concerning smoking cessation: Evidence from the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey.

2016 Jul 28;91:32-36. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.07.012. [Epub ahead of print]

IMPORTANCE AND OBJECTIVE:

We estimate how often adult smokers are advised to quit using a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States.

DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS:

Data are from the 2012-2013 household component of the United States (US) Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:

Current smoking and advice to quit offered by providers.

RESULTS:

Smoking was reported by 18.26% (CI 17.13%-19.38%) of 2012 MEPS respondents. Less than half of adult smokers (47.24%, CI 44.30%-50.19%) were advised to quit by their physicians although 17.57% (CI 15.37%-19.76%) had not seen a doctor in the last 12months. Advice to quit was given significantly less often to respondents classified as: aged 18-44 (40.29%), men (40.20%), less educated (42.26%), lower family income (43.51%), Hispanic (33.82%), never married (39.55%), and living outside the northeast. Smoking status at year 2 for patients who had received advice to quit was similar (85.13%: SE 1.62%) to those who had seen a physician but were not advised to quit (81.95%: SE 2.05%). Advice to quit smoking was less common than the use of common medical screening tests.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:

Smoking cessation advice is given to less than half of current cigarette smokers and it is least likely to be given to the most vulnerable populations. Efforts to reduce smoking are deployed less often than other preventive practices. The rate of advice to quit has not changed over the last decade. Health care providers are missing an important opportunity to affect health behaviors and outcomes.

Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.


 

Free CE Course: Tobacco Cessation & Special Populations

Posted by Kristin Harms

Jun 6, 2016 2:51:37 PM

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The California Smokers’ Helpline is pleased to offer this free online continuing education course, Tobacco Dependence Treatment in Special Populations: What's the Same and What's Different?

A growing body of research indicates that healthcare providers do not systematically intervene with smokers to provide tobacco independence treatment. This is especially true with teens and smokers with mental illness and/or substance use disorders. With pregnant smokers, there is a need to sustain the quit postpartum. There are special considerations to take into account when helping teens, pregnant smokers, and smokers with behavioral health conditions to quit.

Click below to get started. Once you complete the course, you will receive 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. You can also click below if you do not need CE credits but are interested in the course materials.

Get Started Now

Target Audience

The target audience for this course includes nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, pharmacists, psychologists, alcohol and drug counselors, physician assistants, and other health care professionals who care for pregnant smokers, teens and smokers with mental illness and/or substance use disorders.

Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to:

  • Deliver effective and efficient clinical tobacco interventions to patients using systematic approaches to encourage tobacco cessation.
  • Describe population-based trends of tobacco use among smokers with co-occurring mental health and/or substance use disorders, teens and pregnant smokers.
  • Identify the special circumstances for smokers with co-occurring mental health and/or substance use disorders, teens and pregnant women

Presenter List

Gary Tedeschi, PhD

Gary-Tedeschi-200x227_10-15.jpgDr. Tedeschi is a licensed psychologist (#PSY 14241) at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine, Moores Cancer Center. He has worked there since 1994 as the Clinical Director of the California Smokers' Helpline and the Center for Tobacco Cessation. At the Helpline he is responsible for clinical supervision, counseling protocol development, counselor training, and continuing education. At the Center he provides technical assistance and training for medical and behavioral health professionals on tobacco cessation interventions. Dr. Tedeschi also has several years of previous clinical experience providing psychotherapy for individuals, couples and groups in settings including community mental health, psychiatric in-patient, and university counseling centers. He teaches graduate courses in counseling part time and maintains a small practice in consulting psychology. Dr. Tedeschi holds a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Missouri, Kansas City; an M.A. in counseling psychology from Boston College; and a B.A. in psychology from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.

Accreditation

UC San Diego Accreditation Statement
The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Medical Credit Designation Statement
The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA: The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

AAPA: AAPA accepts certificates of participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by the ACCME or a recognized state medical society. Physician assistants may receive a maximum of 1.25 hours of Category 1 credit for completing this program.

NURSES: For the purpose of recertification, the American Nurses Credentialing Center accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ issued by organizations accredited by the ACCME. For the purpose of relicensure, the California Board of Registered Nursing accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ (report up to 1.25 hours of credit and list "CME Category 1" as the provider number).


 




About this Blog

The California Smokers' Helpline offers free, evidence-based tobacco cessation services in multiple languages to help smokers quit. We also offer free training and resources to health professionals to increase their knowledge and capacity for tobacco cessation.

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Contact Us

For more information about our free training and resources for health professionals, please contact the Helpline Communications Department at (858) 300-1010 or cshoutreach@ucsd.edu.

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