OHA congratulates hospitals and clinic partners in reducing tobacco use

Posted on: 6/13/18

Hospitals Helping Patients Quit (HHPQ), a grant program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) and an initiative of OHA, recently recognized four hospital and clinic partners that have achieved notable benchmarks in reducing tobacco use in Oklahoma.

These leaders have made a critical commitment to their patients, employees, and communities to reduce Oklahoma’s leading cause of preventable death, tobacco use and related illness. The four visionary organizations have implemented a permanent and standard best-practice protocol for identifying, counseling and referring individuals to the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline (OTH) for coaching support and nicotine replacement therapy.

OHA celebrates these leaders for achieving notable benchmarks in clinical tobacco treatment:

• Alliance Health Durant – 1,000 referrals to the OTH
• Integris affiliated clinics, metro Oklahoma City – 2,500 referrals to the OTH
• Integris Bass Baptist Health Center, Enid – 600 referrals to the OTH
• SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital – 600 referrals to the OTH

Through effective, health care provider driven tobacco treatment services, HHPQ partner hospitals and clinics have referred more than 26,000 patients to the OTH, resulting in an estimated 20,500 years of life saved and millions of dollars in reduced health care cost, as well as reduced personal spending on tobacco products.

The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) supports OHA’s Hospital Helping Patients Quit and the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline. For more information on the HHPQ initiative, click here. For information on the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline, click here. (Eric Finley)