GROVE, OK (Nov.21, 2013) – For 23 percent of Oklahomans, tobacco breaks have become a part of daily life. But on Nov. 21, many of them took a tobacco break for good.
Nov. 21 was the date of the Great American Smokeout, an event set aside each year by the American Cancer Society to encourage tobacco users to quit. INTEGRIS Grove participated in the event by offering free information and resources to employees and visitors on tobacco cessation. While making a plan is a good first step, quitting isn’t always as easy as circling a number on the calendar. That’s why INTEGRIS Grove Hospital has a program to help patients and employees through the process.
Started in 2010 through a grant by the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, the INTEGRIS smoking cessation program has offered help to more than 5,800 patients. The program assesses patients’ tobacco use, educates them on how smoking truly affects their health, assists them with withdrawal medications when appropriate, and finally, refers them to the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline for assistance with setting a quit date, changing behaviors, getting support and follow-up.
While smoking cessation services are offered at all INTEGRIS hospitals, the Grove location particularly embraced the program as another way of providing complete care to local residents, said Kim Olson, INTEGRIS tobacco treatment coordinator.
“They saw this as a huge opportunity to help the community,” Olson said. “They’ve had phenomenal results.”
Grove’s smoking cessation results contribute to an overall success rate of 33 percent for INTEGRIS. While that number may seem on the low side, tobacco users who quit cold turkey have only a 5 percent success rate – both numbers demonstrate just how difficult quitting can be.
Perhaps that’s one reason why nicotine dependence remains the leading cause of premature death and disease in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Oklahoma, 6,200 people die each year from a smoking related illness, also according to the CDC. And in addition to lives lost, there’s also a financial toll: Smoking costs Oklahoma $1.16 billion in related health care costs each year.
The Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline (1-800-QUIT-NOW), where participants in the INTEGRIS program are referred, is a free service that helps reduce the toll of tobacco on the state. Also funded by the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust – in partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Health and other state and national agencies – the Helpline received calls from more than 250,000 people since 2003, helping contribute to a 5 percent reduction in the number of Oklahomans who use tobacco, according to TSET. While that may be another number that appears to be a small victory, Oklahoma currently ranks second best nationally in the number of tobacco users served annually through the Helpline. What’s more, an estimated $18 million is saved each year in direct medical costs from tobacco users who have quit through this service.
For tobacco users who haven’t quite committed to joining those ranks, consider this: No matter how long you’ve used nicotine, quitting can be beneficial – even on the first day. According to the CDC, 20 minutes after quitting, a tobacco user’s heart rate drops. Twelve hours after quitting, the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal. And two weeks to three months after quitting, your heart attack risk begins to drop and your lung function begins to improve.
It’s INTEGRIS Health’s overall goal that their patients live longer, healthier lives, and for many, this tobacco cessation program can be a big part of that. According to the American Cancer Society, tobacco cessation is the single most important step that nicotine users can take to improve their health. If you’re interested in ending your dependence on nicotine and would like some help from a program that has shown results, call 888-951-2277 for more information.