Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causing many diseases and affecting the health of smokers in general.Quitting smoking has immediate as well as long term benefits for you and your loved ones.The Cessation Program’s goal is to educate users on the dangers of all forms of tobacco and provide successful ways to quit including using the statewide tobacco cessation Quitline.
The WV Tobacco Quitline, managed by beBetter Networks, www.bebetter.net, has been in operation since July 2000. Since that time the Quitline has enrolled over 50,600 West Virginians for Quitline services. Visit the Quitline website at www.wvquitline.com.
Check out the links below to see featured Quitline sucess stories
Ena Quits
Teresa Quits
All 18-34 year old young adults who enroll with the WV Tobacco Quitline receive FREE quitline services which includes free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (patches, gum or lozenges)and 4 free proactive coaching calls. Please call 1-877-966-8784 or 1-800-Quitnow today for more information. Also visit us on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.
DTP has also funded a project for the 18-34 year old African American and Military population who use tobacco products. Please click on the following to view the webcasts:
African American Specific Webcast
Military Specific Webcast
The Tobacco-Free Pregnancy Initiative:
The purpose of the tobacco free pregnancy initiative is to educate women of child-bearing age as well as those who are pregnant on the dangers of using tobacco. Also, to educate every healthcare provider on the urgent need for face-to-face tobacco cessation counseling.
Recent studies show a 28.4% smoking rate among pregnant women in West Virginia which is almost triple the 11% national rate. Learn more about the Tobacco Free Pregnancy Initiative here.
In addressing this crisis the Cessation Program is funding several programs focusing on pregnant women. Among them is “Tobacco Free for Baby and Me”, housed in the high-risk OB Clinic at Charleston Area Medical Center’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Charleston. Entering its fourth year the program has provided tobacco cessation services and cessation education to scores of pregnant women.
The WV DHHR Office of Maternal Child and Family Health, another Cessation Partner, offers tobacco cessation counseling during in-home visits through the Right From the Start Program.
The WV DHHR Women’s Infants and Children’s (WIC) Program partners with the Cessation Program by distributing cessation educational materials through the 55 clinics throughout West Virginia.
Save Face - Stop Spit Tobacco
Smokeless tobacco has been directly linked with cancer of the mouth, pharynx (throat) and the larynx (voice box). It can cause cancer of the esophagus, gum disease and tooth loss. The prevalence of smokeless tobacco use among WV adult males is about 16%, which is twice the national average.
The Save Face-Stop Spit Tobacco Program is an educational program overseen by the WVU School of Dentistry which addresses the high rate of spit tobacco use in West Virginia.
Armed with spit specific television and radio ads, and help from our Regional Networks we are diligently working to reduce the spit tobacco use rate in WV.
About Face - Stop Spit Tobacco
In collaboration with our Save Face Program we also have a military initiative to address spit tobacco, The ABOUT FACE program is reaching out to veterans, active military and the WV National Guard and their families. ABOUT FACE will drill-down into a highly-concentrated problem area for the state of West Virginia. Up to 70% of West Virginia’s military families have at least one member that uses spit tobacco.
New Web-based Intervention: MyLastDip.com is designed to encourage lasting behavior change by providing participants with many of the same program ingredients found in tobacco cessation clinics. WV DTP encourages spit tobacco users to visit this website for more information.
Other Important Cessation Programs and Partners
WV DTP is very proud of our Healthcare Provider Training.
Provided by Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Brenda Dawley, MD and her associates have been offering free training on the AHRQ guidelines since January 2007. Focusing on health-care provider delivered face-to-face tobacco cessation counseling, the program has trained over 400 health care providers.
David Briles is a survivor of cancer of the throat. His cancer was directly caused by tobacco use. David starred in several commercials for the DTP and his passion and commitment to educating others about the dangers of tobacco use have become a real asset to the Cessation Program. The DTP offers technical assistance to David as he travels to tell his story.
Other partners involved in our fight include the West Virginia Asthma Prevention and Education Program, the West Virginia Diabetes Prevention and Control Program , the West Virginia Comprehensive Cancer Program, the West Virginia Osteoporosis and Arthritis Program and the West Virginia Cardiovascular Health Program.
The Tobacco Cessation Program is fortunate to have a large statewide network of partners, and many of these are an integral part of the Tobacco Free Pregnancy Advisory Council. This counsel received by these partners plays an important role in the planning for Pregnant Smoker Educational Programs. To find out more about the Council please contact Kathy Danberry, Tobacco Cessation Program Manager, kathy.m.danberry@wv.gov or 304.356.4221
With the valuable assistance of all of our partners, the Tobacco Cessation Program is able to discover new and innovative ways to reach tobacco using West Virginians.