Tobacco addiction causes 438,000 deaths in the United States each year, making it the leading preventable cause of death. In addition, some 8.6 million Americans live with serious smoking-related illness. Of the 44.5 million current smokers, 70 percent say that they would like to quit. But without assistance, less than five percent are able to stop smoking. They need help from health professionals, whose advice serves as a powerful motivator.

The Smoking Cessation Leadership Center (SCLC) is a national program office of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Significant support is also provided by the American Legacy Foundation. SCLC aims to increase smoking cessation rates and increase the number of health professionals who help smokers quit. The Center creates partnerships for results with a variety of groups and institutions to develop and implement action plans around smoking cessation. Partnerships with dental hygienists, nurses, pharmacists, emergency physicians, hospitals, labor unions, family physicians, the Veterans Health Administration and myriad other groups all lead toward the same goal: saving lives by increasing cessation rates and cessation interventions.

American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA)
has posted its Tobacco Cessation Position Paper online.

http://www.apna.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3751

APNA is welcoming feedback. Only eight other position statements have been approved by the APNA Board of Directors. Cheers to Daryl Sharp and the APNA Tobacco Dependence Task Force!

*RX for Change: WELLNESS * - Peer to Peer consumer tobacco cessation curriculum is now available.

3 million
1-800 QUIT NOW cards now in circulation. Encourage someone you know to quit smoking.
For more information click here.

The SCLC Catalogue of Tools is here. Download your copy today!

U.S. Smoking Rate Hits Historic Low of 19.8%!

New 2008 Clinical Practice Guidelines - Treating Tobacco use and Dependence

RWJF offers a new toolkit for implementing smokefree laws. www.goingsmokefree.org

What is EX? Ex is a free quit plan that will help you quit smoking. Visit www.becomeanEX.org and re-learn.

American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) has formed a tobacco dependence task force. For details visit the APNA website.

Mental Health Provider toolkit to help help consumers quit smoking.

Toolkit to help Mental Health facilities go smokefree - for details visit www.nasmhpd.org

Washington QUITS! Business and labor, insurance and providers come together to help washington tobacco users quit.

ADHA first of SCLC partners to reach its goal! learn how they did it.

Chicago Second Wind initiative continues its work to help smokers quit!

The Smoking Cessation Leadership Center (SCLC) provides links on its website to other websites that are not under its control. These links are provided for reference only and are not intended as an endorsement by the SCLC nor a guarantee regarding the quality of information found on the linked websites.