Members of the Alliance for a Healthier Indiana coalition have invited public health advocates to express their support of an increase in Indiana’s cigarette tax. The Senate Appropriations Committee will be voting on the state’s budget, HB 1001, March 30.

Along with adequate funding for evidence-based treatment services and a comprehensive tobacco prevention program, increasing the price of tobacco is a proven strategy for reducing the burden of tobacco use at the state level.  Indiana’s adult smoking rate has remained around 25% for several years, and a relatively low tobacco tax is partially responsible.

Increasing the price of tobacco has been proven to encourage current tobacco users to use less and others—especially those with lower incomes—to quit completely.  It also has a strong effect on preventing children from starting.

According to the Alliance for a Healthier Indiana, “increasing the price of tobacco is the single most effective method for decreasing smoking rates — especially in those under age 18. A 10% increase in the real price of cigarettes would reduce the number of kids who smoke by 6-7% and the number of pregnant women who smoke pregnant women by 7% — and result in $1.4 billion in long-term health care savings, all while adding more than $200 million in new revenue that could be used for boosting Indiana’s cessation efforts and programs.

For more information about how to talk to your elected officials about this issue, visit this page from the Alliance for a Healthier Indiana.

To learn more about HealthNet’s Tobacco Cessation Program, please click here.

Myth 1:  I have to set a quit date.

Fact:  Some quit smoking programs require people to set a quit date—usually two to four weeks down the road—to give them time to prepare to quit.  During this time, people get support from friends, clean their houses and cars, and practice doing other activities instead of smoking.  However, this is not the only way to quit.  The Quit Tobacco Program at HealthNet does not require people to set a quit date.  Instead, many people choose to begin using medicines and practicing alternatives to smoking before quitting for good.

Myth 2:  I have to stop smoking before I can take medicine to help me stop smoking.

Fact:  New research tells us it is safe to continue to smoke a little while getting started with nicotine medicine.  Talk to your doctor or quit smoking counselor to make a personal plan that will help you reduce and then quit smoking.

Myth 3:  Using nicotine medicine is like trading one addiction for another.

Fact:  Nicotine medicine is designed to satisfy part of the brain’s craving for nicotine so it is more comfortable to go without using tobacco.  Always use nicotine medicine according to the package directions or a doctor or counselor’s advice.  It may take several weeks or even months of using nicotine medicines until you feel ready to be nicotine free.  Then you can gradually reduce the amount of nicotine you get.  Working with a doctor or counselor can help you make a plan to stop using nicotine medicines.

Myth 4:  I have tried all the medicines out there to help me quit.

Fact:  There are seven medicines approved by the FDA to help people quit smoking, and most people have not used them all.  Five medicines contain nicotine.  These are patches, gum, lozenges, inhaler, and nasal spray.  Two other medicines are pills that help reduce the urge to smoke.  Chantix and Wellbutrin work differently but they both require a prescription.  Talk to your doctor about the best option for you.

Myth 5:  I have failed too many times before.  I am doomed to smoke forever.

Fact:  You may feel frustrated if you have quit tobacco and started again many times.  But there is good news!  The more times you try to quit, the more likely you are to eventually be able to quit for good.  Every time you go without tobacco, you learn more about your addiction and what does and does not help you avoid tobacco.  Most people who quit for life take at least five tries.  Working with a counselor and using medicine are two great ways to increase the chances your next quit attempt is your last!

For more information or to make a personal quitting plan, contact Linda Bundick, HealthNet’s Tobacco Cessation Counselor, at 317-957-2007. 

To learn more about HealthNet’s Quit Tobacco Program, click here. 

World No Tobacco Day is recognized by the World Health Organization each year and works to spread awareness and fight tobacco use around the world. This year the focus is on “Plain Packaging” which shows the dangers of using tobacco. Other countries around the world have already implemented plain packaging into law.

To learn more about World No Tobacco Day and the importance of plain packaging, please click here for a press release from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. 

If you are thinking about quitting tobacco and would like to learn more about HealthNet’s Quit Tobacco Program, please contact the HealthNet location nearest you.

Source:

1. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/press_releases/post/2016_05_31_wntd

Post by Linda Bundick 

Quitting is one of the best things you can do for your health—and your wallet!  It also can be scary, especially if you have quit before.  But there is good news!  As soon as you quit, your body starts to heal.  And every time you quit, you are closer to being tobacco-free for life!

Here are two tools to help you beat nicotine addiction for good!

1.  Double Your Chances of Quitting with Medicine

Seven medicines are approved by the FDA to make quitting more comfortable.  Five of these have nicotine, the addictive chemical in tobacco.  These medicines work by putting nicotine into the blood through the skin, helping reduce cravings.  The patch works slowly all day, so many people combine the patch with a faster-acting medicine like gum or inhaler.

• Nicotine patches (with or without prescription)

• Nicotine gum (with or without prescription)

• Nicotine lozenge (with or without prescription)

• Nicotine inhaler (prescription)

• Nicotine nasal spray (prescription)

Two medicines do not have nicotine.  They help reduce cravings by acting directly on the brain.

• Chantix (prescription)

• Buproprion SR (prescription)

Talk to your doctor about the best medicines for you, and be sure to get a prescription even if they are available over the counter.  Most insurance will help you get these medicines for a very low cost or even free if you have a prescription!

2.  Free Coaching from Quit Now Indiana

When you enroll, you can get a free starter pack of nicotine medicine if you have Medicaid, Medicare, or no insurance!

• Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW to talk to a coach who can help you make a plan to beat nicotine cravings and stay tobacco-free for life!

• Visit www.equitnow.com to web chat with a coach and use online tools.

• Ask your phone or web coach about Text2Quit, which sends you personalized   messages through your quit journey!

For questions about these or other tobacco cessation tools, please contact Linda Bundick, HealthNet’s Tobacco Cessation Coordinator at lbundick@iuhealth.org or 317-957-2007.

Post by Linda Bundick

The final entry of our four-part blog series that has been full of introductions brings you an inside look at HealthNet’s Health Promotions!  A team that helps patients stay on the right track AFTER they leave the doctor’s office.
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Meet – Health Promotions

Community health centers are successful because of the fact that they are multi-service centers.  From a centralized location within a neighborhood, they offer family medicine, dental, podiatry, optometry, behavioral health, and much, much more.  Health promotions staff help to complete the wrap-around services provided by our community health centers.  The team includes a dietician, a smoking cessation counselor, prenatal educators, and a health education manager, but their reach goes beyond those areas.

Here are the four things you need to know about Health Promotions:

1. Health Promotions assisted more than 6,000 people in Indianapolis through community events, tobacco cessation and nutrition counseling, prenatal classes and patient outreach programs.
   What cannot be captured is the amount of people who learn life-changing lessons from the one-on-one counseling, classes, health screenings and numerous brochures, packets, and posters at community health fairs that help to drive home these lessons that our providers want our patients to understand.
2. Success stories from Health Promotions may seem simple to you and I, but the lessons are long-lasting with our patients.
   Learn from Delorus Alderman, a patient who quit smoking with the help of our Tobacco Cessation Counselor.  Or, read about our pilot walking programthat helps neighbors on the southeast side of Indy come together to support each other’s journey to become more fit.  These are only two of plenty of small but great successes by our patients who would not have had a chance without our Health Promo team.
3. Patient outreach programs bring back patients, patients who would normally skip appointments.
   It is really hard, most of the time, for our patients to (a) find a ride to our centers and (b) find the time to make it to an appointment.  It is a choice between saving money or saving health.  Our health promotions team along with health center staff do a GREAT job of getting patients to appointments.  They key in on certain incentives to make it a worthwhile trip.
4. You can be a part of promoting healthy lifestyle and be a part of HealthNet’s wrap-around care!
   
   • Promote our health education and other classes that are on the web!
   • Check our Facebook page for ongoing events and spread the word!
   • Small donations aimed at Health Promotions can be a BIG help!

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Want to learn more about what all goes on for Health Promotions?
Have a suggestion for great wrap-around care?
Comment below.

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