FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2014

Contact: Communications Office
(850) 245-4111

TALLAHASSEE—During the 6th annual Tobacco Free Florida Week, April 21–27, the Department of Health is emphasizing the importance of teamwork with health professionals to help smokers quit for good. Team Up to Quit is a statewide effort to raise awareness of the resources available to help Floridians quit tobacco.

“The health care community plays a critical role in helping patients understand the impact of smoking on their lives,” said State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. John Armstrong. “Patients who discuss ways to quit with their health care professionals are ultimately more successful in their quit attempts.”

Clear and consistent messaging from physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists and health care professionals is important to help Floridians quit. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention¹ and the U.S. Surgeon General² have recently urged all tobacco control programs and health care professionals to connect more smokers to proven effective resources. In 2012, only half of Florida’s health care professionals reported that they often assessed tobacco users’ readiness to quit or assisted smokers with a quit attempt.³

Through Tobacco Free Florida, smokers have the option to call the Florida Quitline, use a web-based program, or attend in-person counseling services and they may receive free FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapy. For more information and resources, visit www.tobaccofreeflorida.com/healthcare.

Why Team Up to Quit?

• Patients who work with their health care professionals are ultimately more successful in their quit attempts.⁴
• When tobacco users receive treatment according to the U.S. Public Health Service’s clinical practice guideline, they report higher satisfaction with overall health care received compared to untreated tobacco users.⁵
• Smokers who quit can add up to 10 years to their life expectancy by quitting.⁶

What’s the Impact of Tobacco in Florida?

• Florida’s leading preventable cause of death and disease is tobacco use.⁷
• If current rates continue, 270,200 Florida children alive today who are younger than 18 years of age will die prematurely as a result of smoking.⁸
• In 2009, the annual direct costs to Florida’s economy attributable to smoking were in excess of $19.6 billion, including direct medical costs of $7.2 billion.⁹

ABOUT TOBACCO FREE FLORIDA WEEK
The sixth annual Tobacco Free Florida Week takes place from April 21–27. Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #TeamUpToQuit.

ABOUT TOBACCO FREE FLORIDA
Tobacco Free Florida is a statewide cessation and prevention campaign funded by Florida’s tobacco settlement fund. Tobacco Free Florida is managed by the Florida Department of Health, specifically the Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida.

Smokers and smokeless tobacco users interested in quitting are encouraged to call the Florida Quitline at 1-877-U-CAN-NOW to speak with a Quit Coach. To learn about Tobacco Free Florida and the state’s free quit smoking resources, visit www.tobaccofreeflorida.com or follow the campaign on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TobaccoFreeFlorida or Twitter at www.twitter.com/tobaccofreefla.

¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs—January 2014. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014.

² U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014.

³ RTI International. 2013 Independent Evaluation Report. Fifth Annual Independent Evaluation of Florida’s Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida, Fiscal Year 2012–2013. RTI Project Number 0212005.001.002.008. December 2013.

⁴ Curry, S.J., Fiore,M.C.,Orleans,C.T., & Keller, P.(2002).Addressing tobacco in managed care: Documenting the challenges and potential for systems-level change. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 4(Suppl 1), S5-7.

⁵ Fiore MC, Jaen CR, Baker TB, et al. Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update. Clinical Practice Guideline. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Public Health Service;; 2008.

⁶ Prabhat Jha, M.D., Chinthanie Ramasundarahettige, M.Sc., Victoria Landsman, Ph.D., Brian Rostron, Ph.D., Michael Thun, M.D., Robert N. Anderson, Ph.D., Tim McAfee, M.D., and Richard Peto, F.R.S. N Engl J Med 2013; 368:341-350January 24, 2013DOI: 10.1056/NEJMsa1211128

⁷ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking —50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014

⁸ 2014 CDC Best Practices: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs—January 2014. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014.

⁹ Penn State. “Potential Costs and benefits of Smoking Cessation for Florida..” 30 April 2010. Web. < http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/tobacco-control-advocacy/reports-resources/cessation-economic-benefits/reports/FL.pdf>