December 23, 1998 

Contact: Bonnie Widerburg, (971) 673-1282 

Customized Tobacco Quit Line Offers Help to Kick the Nicotine Habit

Oregon Health Services helps tobacco users keep New Year’s resolutions to quit with toll-free service

This time of year we all make promises to ourselves, spouses and friends knowing that we may never keep them. But this year, the Oregon Health Services is doing something to make sure tobacco users have the necessary resources available to keep their resolutions to quit. Beginning Dec. 28, Oregon smokers who want to quit smoking cigarettes or chewing tobacco can call the state’s new, toll-free tobacco line at 1-877-270-STOP.

It’s important for anyone who is ready to quit that they have convenient access to professional help, Nancy Clarke, Oregon Health Services’ Managed Care Coordinator said. We are thrilled that the Quit Line is up and running in time for the New Year. We know that over 70 percent of Oregon’s smokers want to stop and the Quit Line provides them with a convenient option.

During their first call, callers speak with an experienced cessation specialist who analyzes their tobacco-use habits and where they are in the quitting process. Based on their information, the specialist works with the smoker to develop a customized plan to successfully quit smoking. One of the more innovative aspects of the Quit Line program is the availability of intensive, one-on-one phone counseling sessions. These sessions are scheduled at times most convenient to the caller and can take place either at work or home.

There is scientific research from across the nation verifying that these types of quit line services work, Dr. Tim McAfee, medical director for the Oregon Quit Line said. Quitting is never easy. Nicotine is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. The tobacco counseling services the Quit Line provides will make it easier for the smoker who is ready to quit.

For callers who have already quit, but need additional support, Quit Line cessation specialists can also help. If the caller’s friend or family member smokes, they can receive cessation materials and information on community resources.

Many of our callers see quitting as an unscalable wall, Clarke said. Our job is to help break the wall into manageable pieces and make it less threatening.

The Oregon Health Services has been running radio advertisements and working with local coalitions and county health departments to promote the Quit Line in limited counties including Clatsop, Columbia, Deschutes, Jackson, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Polk, Umatilla and Yamhill counties. Beginning Dec. 28th the service is available to all Oregonians.

The toll-free number for the Quit Line is 1-877-270-STOP (1-877-270-7867). Spanish callers can access this service at 1-877-2No-Fume (266-3863). TTY access is available by calling 1-877-777-6534. The Quit Line is open for calls Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

The Oregon Tobacco Prevention and Education Program is a comprehensive effort to reduce the use of tobacco and exposure to secondhand smoke. It includes programs in local communities, schools, businesses, media and special populations. The program is funded by a tobacco tax increase approved by voters in 1996. Ten percent of the new revenue is allocated to tobacco use prevention and reduction.