Health Department now offering nicotine replacement patches

press release

OREGON, Ill.Ogle County Health Department is now offering nicotine replacement patches (NRT) through Break the Habit program. To qualify for the patches, participants will need to contact the Illinois Tobacco Quitline at (866) QUIT-YES.

Callers who keep in contact with the Quitline can receive nicotine replacement patches to help them in their efforts to stop smoking. A two-week supply of patches will be available from the Health Department for $10/two-week box. Participants will be eligible for up to six weeks (three boxes of patches). The patches will be available in different strengths (21 mg/14 mg/7 mg) as recommended by their Quitline counselor.

The program is open to adults 18 years and older who live in Ogle County. Callers who have a public medical card will be advised to go through their doctor. If participants have private insurance, they will need to check with their provider to see if NRT is provided through their insurance. Funding is limited and may be discontinued without notice.

Quitline counselors will remind participants to call the Health Department to make arrangements to pick up their patches. Callers will need to pay $10 before they are issued any patches. Participants will be responsible for picking up their patches at a local pharmacy.

The Illinois Tobacco Quitline provides free smoking cessation counseling over the telephone. The toll-free number is (866) QUIT-YES or (866) 784-8937. The Surgeon General and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both agree that telephone helplines can increase an individuals success in quitting smoking by more than 50 percent.

The Illinois Tobacco Quitline staff is on hand from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, to answer questions, assist in revising plans, and provide tips while offering support and encouragement in the smoking cessation process. Voice messages can be left at any time after hours and will be returned the next business day. Information can be accessed via the Internet at any time.

Professional counselors ask the callers about readiness to quit, history of tobacco use and previous quit attempts. The counselors are qualified to discuss all issues relating to lung health. Physician referrals and information about medicines and treatments are also available.

A cessation program is then customized to fit each callers needs. A quit-kit including self-help materials, information about nicotine replacement therapies, and requested information is mailed to the caller.

The counselors will maintain weekly communication with participants for a minimum of six weeks. Thereafter, follow-up calls are made at three months, six months and 12 months.

The Illinois Tobacco Quitline is funded by the Illinois Department of Public Health and administered through the American Lung Association of Illinois. For more information about the Quitline or receiving nicotine replacement patches, call or e-mail Carol Erickson at Ogle County Health Department, (815) 732-7330, ext. 279, or cerickson@oglecounty.org.

from the April 15-21, 2009, issue