Thursday, June 9, 2005
Contact: Spence Jackson, (573)751-0290
Governor Blunt Announces Statewide Tobacco Quitline: 1-800-QUIT-NOW Will Help with Smoking Cessation
JEFFERSON CITY—Governor Matt Blunt today announced a new tobacco quitline for Missourians who want to quit smoking and using other forms of tobacco, noting Missouri is taking a major step in reducing tobacco use in Missouri.
"Two-thirds of tobacco-users in Missouri have told us they would like to quit. Now we are giving them a tool to help," Blunt said. "This is a step in the right direction in Missouri’s tobacco-cessation efforts."
Missouri has lagged behind most of the nation during the past few years in putting resources into reducing tobacco use. In fact, Missouri ranks among the bottom in state spending for tobacco prevention.
Blunt said he is committed to stepping up the state’s efforts. The Governor recommended in his fiscal year 2006 budget that $875,000 of the proceeds from a settlement reached with several of the smaller tobacco companies be used to institute new youth tobacco prevention programs. However, this proposal was not included in the final budget passed by the General Assembly.
"I will continue to push for funding to address smoking in Missouri," Blunt said.
Most adult smokers started the habit before the age of 18. The new quitline offered by Missouri will help those who may have started young but now want to stop.
"Missourians who are ready to quit using tobacco products can call, toll-free, 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)," Blunt said. "We are pleased that this effective tool is now available for Missourians who want to quit smoking and quit using other forms of tobacco," he added.
Other states using the service have documented the quitline service has helped thousands. That translates to saving lives and adds up to healthcare savings totaling more than a billion dollars.
Research shows that half of Missouri's 1.1 million adult smokers have tried to quit at least once during the last year. It is also estimated that almost two-thirds would like to quit.
Professional telephone counseling has proven to be more than twice as effective as when people rely only on self-help.
The quitline service will be provided by Free & Clear, Inc., which has shown one-year quit rates of 25-32 percent among individuals it has counseled. The state of Washington has made Free & Clear's Tobacco Treatment Program the cornerstone of their tobacco use prevention program for the past four years. In that time, Washington State has documented 115,000 fewer smokers statewide. The Washington Department of Health estimates that having Free & Clear on the job has prevented 38,000 early tobacco-related deaths and saved the state $1.4 billion in future medical costs.
Missouri's new quitline service is made possible through funding by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The service is available to all adult Missourians, and special provisions for extended counseling will be available to pregnant women, Medicaid recipients and the uninsured. All callers to the quitline will be provided an intensive counseling session and a Quit Kit of self-help materials to help them stay on track with their personalized quit plan.
A plan about Missouri's overall strategy to increase quitting and decrease tobacco use as well as a fact sheet about the new statewide quitline are available on the DHSS website at www.dhss.mo.gov/SmokingAndTobacco.