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New Online Course - Earn 3 Free CEUs!

Posted by Lesley Copeland

Oct 5, 2020 1:38:24 PM

Boost your immunity. (2)

The Helpline is pleased to offer a new and improved online course -  Tobacco Dependence Treatment & Behavioral Health.

This interactive, web-based course helps providers learn how to assess and treat tobacco dependence in tobacco users with co-occurring psychiatric and/or addictive disorders.

The course is 3 hours in length, and is broken down into separate modules.

LEARN MORE

Educational Objectives

Following completion of this educational activity, learners should be able to:

  • Describe population-based trends of tobacco use among smokers with co-occurring mental health and/or substance use disorders.

  • Discuss the factors in mental health and addiction treatment settings that have served to maintain tobacco use in populations with mental health and/or substance use disorders.

  • Identify and implement evidence-based treatment for treating tobacco dependence.

Credits Available

  • AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • APA

REGISTER HERE

 


Don't Need CEUs? You can still take the course!

Click here to access the material:

https://rise.articulate.com/share/GQKU6man-3CERYggXjQDpOcrmvD7DNe5

 

Gambling and Smoking Webinar

Posted by Lesley Copeland

Sep 20, 2019 12:16:28 PM

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Nearly 1 million Californians experience problems related to gambling, which includes health issues like stress, depression, and anxiety. Smoking contributes to these problems.

Join us on Wed, Oct 2nd from 11-11:30 am (PST) and hear from Cyndi M. Maivia, Chief, Office of Problem Gambling, about how health care professionals can address this growing health concern.

Register Now!

Key Learning Takeaways

  • How problem gambling disorder affects overall health
  • Link between smoking and gambling disorder
  • Prevention and treatment of gambling disorder
  • Tools to assess the risk of gambling disorder and tips to promote a healthier environment

The California Smokers’ Helpline has several courses available on cessation-related topics. Check here to learn more: https://www.nobutts.org/online-training

Get Ready for the New Year with Materials from the California Smokers' Helpline

Posted by Kristin Harms

Dec 18, 2018 3:06:12 PM

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Many smokers are motivated to make a quit attempt in the new year so it is a perfect time to talk to your patients and clients about quitting smoking. You can also order a variety of free materials from the California Smokers' Helpline in multiple languages and formats:

  • For general audiences and special populations: click here to order rack cards and wallet cards in English and Spanish, or rack cards targeted to American Indian, young adult, and tobacco chewer populations.
  • For smokers who are pregnant or have children age 5 and under: click here to order rack cards, wallet cards, and fact sheet in English and Spanish.
  • For smokers who speak Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese: click here to order rack cards, wallet cards, posters, postcards, and fact sheets in Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.
  • For general audiences: click here to order our popular Top 10 Tips for Quitting Smoking flyer in English/Spanish or to download the tips in poster format.
For more information about free Helpline services, please visit our Free Services page.

New research provides guidance on how to successfully motivate California’s Medicaid population to quit smoking

Posted by Kristin Harms

Nov 19, 2018 12:15:49 PM

Media contact:
Jillian B. Morgan, MPH, Managing Editor
AJPM
+1 734 936 1590
ajpmmedia@elsevier.com

AJPM coverAnn Arbor, November 16, 2018 – New research shows improved smoking cessation outcomes can be achieved within the Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program) population by supplementing telephone counseling with access to nicotine-replacement patches and moderate financial incentives that are not contingent on outcomes. The group that received these additional services was more likely to make a quit attempt and remain smoke-free, both short- and long-term. This study also adds to the evidence that modest financial incentives can be an effective smoking cessation intervention for a low-income population.

 This research was published in a special supplement to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, guest edited by Steven A. Schroeder, MD, Department of Medicine, Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA, which describes components of California’s Medi-Cal Incentives to Quit Smoking (MIQS) Project, its successes, and ongoing initiatives.

Key points:

  • The MIQS Project produced impressive increases in motivating low-income smokers to call and enroll in quitline services and modest, but significant increases in quit attempts and successful quits.
  • There was a 70 percent increase in calls to the quitline by Medi-Cal smokers, achieving a quitline reach of 4.5 percent, which exceeds the national quitline reach of 1 percent.
  • Smokers assigned to the nicotine patch plus financial incentive group were more likely to make a quit attempt than the usual care (counseling-only group) and more likely to report six-month prolonged abstinence.
  • The MIQS Project also demonstrated that offering nicotine patches plus a financial incentive to Medi-Cal smokers who call the quitline is cost-saving.

In a study of statewide outreach for the MIQS Project, led by Elisa K. Tong, MD, of the Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA, promotion through health care channels increased the utilization and reach of quitline services to maximum levels. “Healthcare channels were an important referral source, as more Medi-Cal callers than non-Medi-Cal callers cited providers and plans rather than media,” Dr. Tong observed. “MIQS may be sustained with coordination and prioritization across plans, providers, and public health partners.”

Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess which approach was most helpful in getting Medicaid smokers to quit. They randomly assigned participants to one of three groups: usual care, consisting of smoker quitline counseling and assistance in obtaining quitting aids through Medicaid; usual care plus nicotine patches mailed directly to participants’ homes, and usual care plus mailed patches and financial incentives of up to $60 per person. Compared to usual care, people offered nicotine patches and financial incentives were more likely to:

  • Make a quit attempt (68.4 percent vs. 54.3 percent)
  • Be abstinent for 30 days at 2 months (30.0 percent vs.18.9 percent)
  • Six-month prolonged abstinent at 7 months (13.2 percent vs. 9.0 percent)

Medicaid expanded eligibility under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, increasing the population of smokers on Medi-Cal. An analysis of datasets from the California Health Interview Survey led by Shu-Hong Zhu, PhD, of the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA, showed that between 2012 and 2016, the number of smokers in California’s Medi-Cal program nearly doubled from 738,000 in 2011–2012 to 1,448,000 by 2016, raising the proportion of state smokers covered by Medi-Cal from 19.3 percent to 41.5 percent. Compared with smokers with private insurance, those in Medicaid were more likely to have chronic disease and experience severe psychological distress. In 2016, 51.4 percent of adult smokers with chronic disease conditions and 57.8 percent of those in severe psychological distress were covered by Medi-Cal.

“The growing concentration of smokers in Medicaid highlights the need for more effective approaches to reduce smoking in this population,” said Dr. Zhu. “I hope this study captures the attention not just of public health officials, but also of their counterparts in Medicaid. Reducing the toll of tobacco in this population should become an urgent priority for all Medicaid programs and plans.”

In a cost-benefit analysis that assesses the economic impact of supplementing usual care of quitline services with mailed nicotine patches and financial incentives of up to $60 per person, investigators found that compared to usual care alone, offering these adjunctive services to Medicaid callers will reduce future healthcare expenditures due to increased number of quitters. This will produce a net savings within five years with a benefit-cost ratio of 1.18. The net savings will accumulate over time with a benefit-cost ratio of 1.90 over 10 years.

“Our study demonstrates that investment in an effective smoking cessation intervention for Medicaid smokers can reap large savings down the road,” stated Hai-Yen Sung, PhD, of the Institute for Health & Aging, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA. “Providing modest financial incentives and mailed nicotine patches to Medicaid smokers who call the quitline is cost-saving. For every $1 invested in these adjunctive services to Medicaid callers, there will be $1.90 savings in healthcare costs within 10 years.”

This research is part of a five-year, $10 million grant awarded to the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2011 and was part of an initiative exploring the use of incentives to change health behaviors in the Medicaid population. This research was designed to accelerate successful quitting by: increasing use of a well-established and effective phone counseling service, the California Smokers’ Helpline (CSH); decreasing barriers to obtaining nicotine replacement patches; and offering economic incentives to encourage quitting.

Led by the Department of Health Care Services, collaborators included the University of California San Diego (where the Helpline was developed and is currently housed); University of California Davis; University of California San Francisco; and the California Department of Public Health. This strategy was based on evidence showing that quitlines do improve the chances of quitting and that Medicaid smokers are motivated to quit, although their quit rates are somewhat lower than the general population.

“There is no single magic bullet to reduce the burden of smoking. The results of individual efforts, such as general or targeted mailings, free nicotine replacement therapy, referral to telephone quitlines, and financial incentives (all used in MIQS), as well as taxation, smoke-free legislation, and counter-marketing (all occurring in California as a backdrop to MIQS) may be relatively modest, but each contributes to driving down smoking rates. In the case of California, even a small percentage drop in smoking, when applied to almost 1.5 million Medicaid smokers, could save thousands of lives and millions of dollars,” concluded Dr. Schroeder.


 

Get Ready for the Great American Smokeout!

Posted by Kristin Harms

Nov 2, 2018 11:04:58 AM

2018 Great American Smokeout

For more than 40 years, the American Cancer Society has hosted the Great American Smokeout on the third Thursday of November. The Great American Smokeout is an opportunity for smokers to commit to healthy, smoke-free lives – not just for a day, but year round.

This year, the Smokeout is on Thursday, November 15th. Encourage your patients and clients to quit by downloading or ordering free patient materials from the California Smokers' Helpline. Our popular Top 10 Tips for Quitting Smoking flyer is now available for download as a poster, and our rack cards and wallet cards for pregnant smokers and parents of children 0-5 are now back in inventory.

Order Materials Now!


 

This is Not Your Father’s Tobacco Use Problem

Posted by Kristin Harms

Sep 4, 2018 12:18:58 PM

By April Roeseler, BSN, MSPH, Branch Chief
California Tobacco Control Program
California Department of Public Health

CATobaccoFactsFigures2018 CoverThe tobacco epidemic has evolved considerably since the first Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health released back in 1964. As depicted by California Tobacco Facts and Figures 2018, the tobacco use problem has morphed from being all about cigarettes to a diverse group of tobacco product categories that includes cigarettes; chew and snus tobacco; cigarillos and little cigars; hookah; and a variety of electronic smoking devices. The latter category includes cig-a-likes, refillable tanks, and an explosion of devices that look like USB flash drives, lip-gloss, or pens. Coinciding with the diversification in electronic smoking devices is an exponential growth in flavored tobacco products; the number of flavors these products come in more than doubled from 2014 to over 15,500 flavors today. Flavored tobacco products are driving youth experimentation; more than 80 percent of youth who ever used a tobacco product reported that their first product was flavored.

Download Now!

Dramatic shifts in tobacco marketing have also occurred. Beginning in the 1970s, federal legislation, lawsuits, and regulations severely restricted the ability of tobacco companies to use television, radio, billboards, print, sponsorship, and cartoon characters to sell their products. As these restrictions mounted, tobacco companies moved their marketing attention to the unregulated retail environment.10 Direct mail coupons, in-store price promotions, retailer incentives, and other in-store advertising dominated tobacco company marketing expenditures. By 2011, nearly 90 percent of tobacco industry marketing expenditures were directed towards retail price promotion and price discounting strategies.

The latest tobacco marketing leverages social media and exploits social influencers, including teens, to peddle tobacco products through YouTube product reviews, Instagram, and tweets. This shift from static marketing channels to dynamic social platforms is ubiquitous, and exists in a shadowy online environment, which makes tracking and analyzing tobacco marketing more complex and reliant on big data systems to capture and analyze tobacco marketing and promotions. The giant foothold (54.6 percent of market share) that JUULs gained in a two-year period, within the electronic smoking device product category, illustrates the power of digital and social media to influence tobacco product use without relying on traditional media channels.

So why does the proliferation of tobacco product categories and shifts in tobacco marketing matter? California Tobacco Facts and Figures 2018 presents a troubling picture of teen tobacco use. The data show that while teen cigarette smoking in 2016 is low (4.3 percent), overall tobacco use among teens is stagnant. In 2016, overall teen tobacco use rate (13.6 percent) is comparable to cigarette smoking rate in 2010 (13.8 percent). The proliferation of tobacco product categories, flavored products, and the evolution in tobacco marketing appear to be fueling teens switching from traditional cigarettes to a new generation of tobacco products. A rapid public health response to the evolving tobacco product marketplace is needed to prevent the next generation of youth from a lifelong addiction to nicotine.

California Tobacco Facts and Figures 2018 also documents that while adult cigarette smoking in California is on a downward spiral, highly vulnerable population groups including those with psychological distress, persons with disabilities, low income, and low educational attainment continue to have very high rate of cigarette use. Additionally, African Americans, American Indians, certain ethnic-specific Asian (e.g. Korean, Vietnamese) males, gender and sexually diverse groups, and rural populations have very high rate of smoking. Conversely, White and Hispanic/Latino groups have a lower smoking rate than some groups, but they comprise a very large portion of California’s overall smoking population which makes addressing tobacco use in these groups important too (see Figure 4, Adult cigarette smoking rate and number of smokers in California by demographics, 2015-16).

The size and diversity of California’s smoking population indicates that helping current tobacco users beat their addiction to nicotine is going to require an intensive effort. Simply applying those strategies that got us this far, is not sufficient to get us over the goal line. It is going to take more intensive support to help these vulnerable populations quit for good. One important place to focus our efforts is to ensure that health and behavioral health care systems identify and treat nicotine addiction as a standard of care for all patients - without regard to the initial encounter.

It’s time to “wake-up,” this is not our father’s cigarette-pack-a-day problem. Ending tobacco use in California is going to require a lot of work, across all sectors. The California Tobacco Control Program hopes that the data in this report will be used to focus resources and build the momentum needed to get the job done.


 

Free Webinar: Vaping & Ecigs among Behavioral Health Populations

Posted by Kristin Harms

Aug 30, 2018 2:54:44 PM

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Wednesday, September 12, 2018, at 11:00 am to noon PDT

Speakers

Judith (Jodi) Prochaska, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine, Stanford University

 

Webinar Objectives

  • Describe the use rates of vaping and ecigs among behavioral health populations
  • Review the extant of research on vaping and ecigs among behavioral health populations
  • Identify research needs to inform clinical practice guidelines regarding vaping and ecigs in behavioral health populations

Register Now!


 

California Smokers' Helpline & Stater Bros. Super Rx Pharmacies Partner to Help Smokers Quit

Posted by Kristin Harms

Jul 2, 2018 11:02:00 AM

Pharmacist-Patient-ImageSan Bernardino, California (July 9, 2018) – To help smokers overcome nicotine addiction, Stater Bros. Super Rx Pharmacies will provide NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) to qualifying individuals. NRT can be provided without a physician’s prescription due to California law (Senate Bill 493) which includes a protocol that allows pharmacists to prescribe NRT just as physicians do. NRT is covered by most insurance and a prescription can be coordinated at one of the 24 local Stater Bros. Super Rx Pharmacies. For a list of Stater Bros. Super Rx Pharmacy locations, visit staterbros.com.

In collaboration with the California Smokers’ Helpline, Stater Bros. Pharmacists will also assist customers by providing referrals to the free, evidence-based smoking cessation services available from the California Smokers’ Helpline. Upon referral, the California Smokers’ Helpline will call patients to offer free telephone counseling, self-help materials, and referral to local cessation resources. Services are available in multiple languages including English and Spanish.

“We are pleased to work in collaboration with California Smokers Helpline to provide assistance to individuals seeking to overcome nicotine addiction,” stated Pete Van Helden, Stater Bros. CEO.

“The California Smokers’ Helpline applauds the efforts of Stater Bros. Super Rx Pharmacies to increase patient access to nicotine replacement therapy, an evidence-based strategy for helping smokers quit,” stated Shu-Hong Zhu, Ph.D., Director of the Helpline and Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego.

Stater Bros. Super Rx Pharmacy is committed to offering healthy living programs for its customers, such as FREE prenatal vitamins to expectant mothers during the upcoming month of May which is “Pregnancy Awareness Month”. Recently, Stater Bros. Super Rx Pharmacies improved their $4/$10 generic program by offering additional tiers. These tiers consist of an $8 and $12 offering and bring over 350 commonly prescribed medications to the program in order to add value for their customers.

About California Smokers’ Helpline

The California Smokers’ Helpline (1-800-NO-BUTTS) is a free statewide quit smoking service, operated by the University of California San Diego and proven in clinical trials to double a smoker’s chance of success. The Helpline offers self-help materials, referral to local programs, and one-on-one, telephone counseling in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese. Specialized services are also available for teens, pregnant women, and tobacco chewers as well as for friends and family members of tobacco users. New services include online chat, a texting program, and a mobile app. For more information, visit www.nobutts.org.

About Stater Bros. Markets

Stater Bros. was founded in 1936 in Yucaipa, California, and has grown steadily through the years to become the largest privately owned Supermarket Chain in Southern California and the largest private employer in both San Bernardino County and Riverside County. The Company currently operates 171 Supermarkets, and there are approximately 18,000 members of the Stater Bros. Supermarket Family. Since 2008, Stater Bros. and Stater Bros. Charities have contributed more than $80 million in food and funds to local Southern California communities. For more information, visit staterbros.com.

Contact Information

Marisa Kutansky
Director of Communications
Stater Brothers
P.O. Box 150
San Bernardino, CA 92402
(909) 733-5038

New Provider Toolkit: Special Services for Special People

Posted by Kristin Harms

Jun 25, 2018 3:54:02 PM

The California Smokers’ Helpline and its training and technical assistance arm, the Center for Tobacco Cessation, are pleased to provide this free Provider Toolkit, Special Services for Special People, which includes a webinar recording presented by Sharon Cummins, PhD, and patient fact sheets.

Download Now!

Overview

First-5-Family-rev-1Pregnant women and parents of young children are very important people with a big responsibility—keeping their children safe and healthy. The California Smokers’ Helpline offers free help to quit smoking to any resident of California, including special services just for pregnant women. With funding from First 5 California, the Helpline also offers free nicotine patches to qualified callers who are pregnant or have children ages 0 to 5.

Sharon Cummins, PhD, Director of Research and Evaluation for the California Smokers’ Helpline, will discuss the importance of helping pregnant women and parents of young children quit smoking. She will also talk about the Helpline’s free resources for First 5 audiences including our evidence-based telephone counseling, specialized counseling protocol for pregnant women, nicotine patches, and patient materials for health professionals.

Toolkit Contents

  • Webinar recording and slide deck: Special Services for Special People
  • Patient Fact Sheets: Quitting Smoking While Pregnant & Staying Smoke-Free After Your Baby is Born

Presenter

Sharon Cummins, PhD
Director of Research and Evaluation
California Smokers' Helpline

Sharon_photoSharon Cummins, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. She has worked in tobacco control for over 20 years and is currently the Director of Research and Evaluation at the California Smokers’ Helpline and faculty for the Center for Tobacco Cessation, both operated through the UCSD Moores Cancer Center. Trained as a clinical psychologist, she maintained a clinical practice for 14 years.

Since joining the Helpline in 1996, Dr. Cummins has been highly involved with developing clinical interventions and testing them through large, randomized trials. Her current research interests include interventions for high-risk populations, such as pregnant women, smokers with co-morbid substance abuse and depression or other mental health issues, and the impact of emerging products (e.g., e-cigarettes) on smoking initiation among teens and smoking cessation among adults. 


 

Free Webinar: Special Services for Special People

Posted by Kristin Harms

May 31, 2018 11:43:18 AM

The California Smokers’ Helpline and its training and technical assistance arm, the Center for Tobacco Cessation, are pleased to host this free webinar on Wednesday, June 13th from noon to 12:30 pm PST, Special Services for Special People.

Webinar Overview

First-5-Family-rev-1Pregnant women and parents of young children are very important people with a big responsibility—keeping their children safe and healthy. The California Smokers’ Helpline offers free help to quit smoking to any resident of California, including special services just for pregnant women. With funding from First 5 California, the Helpline also offers free nicotine patches to qualified callers who are pregnant or have children ages 0 to 5.

Sharon Cummins, PhD, Director of Research and Evaluation for the California Smokers’ Helpline, will discuss the importance of helping pregnant women and parents of young children quit smoking. She will also talk about the Helpline’s free resources for First 5 audiences including our evidence-based telephone counseling, specialized counseling protocol for pregnant women, nicotine patches, and patient materials for health professionals.

Register Now!

Presenter

Sharon Cummins, PhD
Director of Research and Evaluation
California Smokers' Helpline

Sharon_photoSharon Cummins, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. She has worked in tobacco control for over 20 years and is currently the Director of Research and Evaluation at the California Smokers’ Helpline and faculty for the Center for Tobacco Cessation, both operated through the UCSD Moores Cancer Center. Trained as a clinical psychologist, she maintained a clinical practice for 14 years. Since joining the Helpline in 1996, Dr. Cummins has been highly involved with developing clinical interventions and testing them through large, randomized trials. Her current research interests include interventions for high-risk populations, such as pregnant women, smokers with co-morbid substance abuse and depression or other mental health issues, and the impact of emerging products (e.g., e-cigarettes) on smoking initiation among teens and smoking cessation among adults. 


 




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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