[HealthyTribes] Quit Line pitch

[Modie Jonathan N]

Grantees,
New Year's Eve is coming up fast. It is a great opportunity to reach out to your local media and encourage them to share tobacco cessation information with their audiences in time for New Year's resolutions.

Don't forget that the Oregon Tobacco Quit Line expanded its online services this year. To date, more than 300 Oregonians have used the services. Also, in November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came out with a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report highlighting that more help, helps when quitting tobacco.

Attached you can find the release announcing the web coaching services that was sent out last month. It has some great information you can use to formulate your own outreach. Also, here are some links with more good background info:

*         CDC Smoking Cessation/New Year's Resolution page: http://www.cdc.gov/features/SmokingCessation/

*         ACS Harms of Smoking and Health Benefits of Quitting page: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/tobacco/cessation

*         Oregon Public Health Division Quit Line page: http://public.health.oregon.gov/PreventionWellness/TobaccoPrevention/GetHelpQuitting/Pages/oregonquitline.aspx

In addition, I've pasted below a possible pitch to use. Feel free to tweak it for your local community as you deem necessary.
Coming up: I will be getting you information to support the anniversary of the Indoor Clean Air Act that you can use for outreach in your own communities.
Let me know if you have questions about the New Year's Quit Line pitch or the upcoming ICAA outreach. And thanks so much for all you do.
Jonathan
Jonathan Modie
Oregon TPEP Communications
971-673-1102
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SUBJECT LINE: STORY IDEA: Quit Line ready for New Year's resolution calls
Editor,
The end of the year is fast approaching, and one of the most popular New Year's resolutions people make is choosing to give up smoking once and for all.
Stopping smoking is the No. 1 thing a person can do to improve his or her health. It also can be a money-saver -- the typical smoker spends about $1,800 a year on cigarettes. And according to Oregon Public Health Division data, nearly 70 percent of adult smokers in Oregon say they would like to quit smoking.
A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report highlighted that the more help a person gets, the more likely he or she is to be successful in a quit attempt. The report states that a mix of advice from a health care provider, quit counseling, and medication is often the most effective way to quit for good.
In Oregon, tobacco users can turn to the Oregon Tobacco Quit Line, a free service available to every Oregonian regardless of income or insurance status. This year alone, 11,200+ Oregonians have called the Quit Line. This is already 3,000+ more callers than was served in 2010. They can get help from real people with advice, tools, information, and even the possibility of free nicotine patches or gum.
Earlier this year, the Quit Line added a new online counseling service. Now people can go online and develop their quit plan, chat with their Quit Coach, and e-mail the Quit Coach with questions without ever picking up the phone. This new program also includes community forums where people who are trying to quit can connect with others across the country for more support. The online progam provides fast, non-judgmental and convenient help just when someone needs it most.
When the Oregon Tobacco Quit Line first launched the online counseling service earlier this fall, it had set a goal of serving 500 people by January. To date, more than 300 people have used the service, with more expected as a result of ongoing Quit Line advertising and promotion.
This New Year's, as people contemplate facing the challenges and the benefits of quitting tobacco, it will be important for them to know that they can quit and there is help. Let me know if you're interested in a story and I can send you more information. Here is contact info:
The Oregon Tobacco Quit Line is a free program offered over the phone and on the Web that helps Oregonians quit tobacco by offering confidential, evidence-based coaching. Contact the Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669); 1-877-2NO-FUME (877-266-3863, Spanish version); or www.quitnow.net/oregon/<http://www.quitnow.net/oregon/>. Callers may also be eligible for free nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches or gum.
Thanks.
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