UW-CTRI Regional Outreach Specialist Amy Skora served on a panel regarding sustainability of tobacco treatment programs at a conference in Orlando, Florida.
The Bureau of Tobacco-Free Florida hosted the Health Systems Change Symposium. “It was good to network,” Skora said, “and see what other states are doing.”
Hot topics included how to incentivize clinicians to assist patients with quitting as part of the “5 A’s”—Ask, Assess, Advise, Assist, Arrange as well as expanding health insurance coverage for tobacco treatment.
According to the CDC, Wisconsin is in the highest quartile for advising patients to quit and in the second highest quartile for smokers who use medications to quit but is also in the lowest quartile for smokers receiving coaching to quit the addiction.
A colleague from Indiana said they appreciate the UW-CTRI Website and its free resources to foster health systems change and to help people change their relationship with smoking.