Milwaukee Area Healthcare Community Discusses How to Help Patients Quit Tobacco

About 150 representatives from virtually every healthcare system in Southeast Wisconsin recently met in Brookfield to discuss how to help patients quit smoking and chewing tobacco. The event featured several speakers, including Stevens Smith, a clinical psychologist from UW-CTRI.

Smith provided several strategies to coach smokers to quit, which can be done in a matter of minutes. "But you can't do the five-minute intervention and think you're done," Smith said. "Tobacco use is a chronic relapsing condition that requires ongoing treatment."

UW-CTRI Researcher Doug Jorenby discussed FDA-approved medications to help people quit, including tips on how to make the most of each medication.

Robin Perry discussed the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line and how to integrate it into standard care, and Lezli Redmond discussed cutting-edge UW-CTRI outreach programs designed to help smokers in specific demographics to quit. Roger Dier, UW-CTRI outreach specialist, presented on the dangers of chew tobacco and why it isn't a safe alternative to smoking.

David Gundersen, Wisconsin Tobacco Control Program, and Dianna Forrester, Washington County Tobacco-
Free Coalition, discussed the importance of smoke-free initiatives in encouraging people to quit and prevent relapse.

The event was sponsored by the Wisconsin Division of Public Health, the Southeast Region Training and Technical Assistance Program and UW-CTRI.

Phabian Barrett, outreach specialist for UW-CTRI, and Sue Marten, North Shore Tobacco-Free Coalition, discuss how to quit at the event in Brookfield.

Stevens Smith, UW-CTRI clinical psychologist, discusses how to coach smokers to quit.

For more on how to treat tobacco dependence, click here.

For more on how to quit, click here.