Proactive Population Health Strategy to Offer Tobacco Dependence Treatment to Smokers

This individual will primarily initiate, guide, and optimize adherence to the care that others deliver, rather than providing direct care his or herself. S/he will call the smoker to conduct a brief assessment of tobacco use and readiness to quit, offer brief counseling and motivational intervention, describe the available pharmacologic and behavioral options, help the smoker to choose among them, and link the smoker to chosen resources. The resources offered will include both internal (health care system based) and external (community based) tobacco cessation resources.

Massachusetts (MA) Helpline services include an assessment of smoking history and readiness to quit, advice to quit, self-help materials and telephone counseling. For smokers who set a quit date in the next 30 days, the Helpline offers up to 5 proactive telephone counseling calls with options for text messaging and web-based resources. It also provides eligible smokers 4 weeks of free nicotine patch or gum mailed to their home.

Participants will be given the number to the MA Smokers Helpline and advised to contact their primary care provider for additional assistance in quitting smoking.