ClearWay MinnesotaSM and the Center for Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota are seeking a qualified vendor to conduct a qualitative evaluation of the impact of menthol policies on youth. Applications are due March 1, 2018.
Please direct questions regarding this RFQ to ClearWay Minnesota Senior Research Program Manager Joanne D’Silva, M.P.H., at jdsilva@clearwaymn.org.
Happy New Year from ClearWay Minnesota! We are pleased to share our Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2017 (covering July 2016 through June 2017). The report highlights our activities in areas of public affairs, community development, cessation, research, and marketing and communications. These highlights include:
Also included are a full roster of Board Members for 2016-2017 and statements of our financial position and activities.
As the New Year approaches, many smokers are making a resolution to quit smoking for good in 2018. Quitting smoking continues to be one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions, with nearly seven out of 10 smokers desiring to quit and more than half of all Minnesota smokers attempting to quit at least once in recent years.
Here are the top five quitting tips for smokers in 2018 from QUITPLAN Services, our free program that has helped more than 160,000 Minnesota tobacco users:
1. Set a quit date.
Commit yourself to picking a date, and mark it on your calendar. Give yourself a few weeks to prepare for this big day and treat your quit date with the same level of importance as birthdays, marriages and other life-changing events. If you find yourself ready to make the move to tobacco-free living but “don’t really know when,” get support from QUITPLAN Services or talk with former tobacco users about what they did.
2. Get support.
Quitting can be difficult to do alone. Getting help and support from a trained coach or counselor can make a big difference. And research shows that counseling increases your chances of quitting. Getting support from people who have been in your shoes and experts can help motivate you to keep with your plan to quit. Support can come from friends and family, your healthcare provider or from QUITPLAN Services.
3. Make a list of triggers and alternatives.
Identify the situations and experiences (or “triggers”) that make you want to light up. Coming up with distractions or substitutes can help you overcome your cravings in these situations. There’s no avoiding the fact that cravings will happen as your body weans off nicotine. But if you’re prepared, you can beat these cravings. Change it up – whether it’s going somewhere different, doing something different, or just taking a few moments to collect yourself.
4. Look in your wallet.
Quitting isn’t just good for your body. It’s good for your wallet too. Starting with your first day of being tobacco-free you’ll be saving money. Smokers can see how much they’ll save by using the quit smoking calculator. A smoker who smokes a pack a day would save nearly $3,000 in just one year and more than $14,000 in five years.
5. Remember WHY.
No one can tell you your own personal reasons for quitting, but reminding yourself why you are quitting can help keep you on track. Whether you’re quitting for your health, your future, family and friends, money savings, or just so you won’t have to stand out in the cold for a smoke break. Whatever your reason to stop smoking, think about that reason and keep reminding yourself that you can do this because you have your eye on the prize that is your “why.”
“We’ve found these simple quitting tips can be a great support tool for those who want to quit, but don’t know where to start,” said Mike Sheldon, ClearWay Minnesota Senior Communications Manager. “Regardless of where you are in the quitting process, QUITPLAN Services can provide judgment-free support and help customize a plan for each individual.”
As a free support program, QUITPLAN Services offers to help Minnesota smokers conquer their addiction and become 100 percent smoke-free, with as much or as little support as they need. QUITPLAN Services include text messaging, email support, quit guides, phone coaching and free nicotine patches, gum or lozenges.
Knowing that quitting takes practice, QUITPLAN Services hosts a series of Mini-Quit Monday Challenges to help smokers quit for small periods at a time, whether it’s replacing a smoke break with a walk, or sitting out on social smoking. A new challenge every month helps smokers learn new skills to overcome tobacco, with a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. To sign up for the first Mini-Quit Monday of 2018 on Jan. 15, text “Enter” to 37619 or visit www.quitcash.com. The Mini-Quit Monday Series leads up to a month-long QUITCASH Challenge in April. Participants who stay tobacco-free for the month are entered to win a $5,000 cash prize.
Minnesotans can learn more about all the free help available from QUITPLAN Services by visiting www.quitplan.com or calling 1-888-354-PLAN (7526).
QUITPLAN Services, ClearWay Minnesota’s free smoking cessation program, recently launched a new treatment approach for uninsured or underinsured participants who report mental health conditions or substance abuse. The new treatment approach is offered to participants through the QUITPLAN Helpline phone coaching program and provides additional coaching support, additional combination nicotine replacement therapy and communication with participants’ health care providers.
According to the 2014 Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey (MATS), 14.4 percent of adult Minnesotans smoke cigarettes. However, 32.6 percent of adults with a mental illness reported smoking cigarettes in a nationwide survey from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2013. QUITPLAN Services recognizes that individuals with a history of mental illness and/or substance use disorders smoke at higher rates than the general population, smoke more cigarettes per day and may be at greater risk of negative health effects as a result.
“We understand that people with mental health conditions may have a harder time quitting smoking, but that they want to quit,” said David Willoughby, our Chief Executive Officer. “We are committed to providing the free support and tools to help all Minnesotans quit. With this new service offering from QUITPLAN Services, we hope to help participants living with mental health conditions or substance abuse successfully quit and experience improved health outcomes.”
The new program will include the following specific tools to help participants quit:
To see if this program is a good fit for you, please contact the QUITPLAN Services Helpline at
1-888-354-7526.