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Tobacco Free Lake County
What is Tobacco Free Lake County?
Tobacco Free Lake County (TFLC) serves all Lake County residents, workers, and organizations. Our mission is to train schools, communities, health care professionals, and individual people in tobacco prevention and quitting tobacco. All services are free or at low cost.
What Does Tobacco Free Lake County Offer?
All of the following services are offered free or at very low cost:
- Quit tobacco services for adults and youth
- Training and resources for teachers, schools, and other organizations that work with youth
- Training and resources for healthcare providers
- Help writing, understanding, and enacting smoke-free and tobacco free ordinances and policies
- Local chapter of statewide youth group for teens speaking out against tobacco
- Brochures, fact sheets, and posters
- To receive a quit kit by mail, email us at [email protected], or print your own copy here: Adult Tobacco Quit Kit (PDF)
What Can I Do?
Thinking about quitting tobacco use can be difficult; even scary. There are a lot of things you can do to increase your chances of success. Getting support, setting a quit date and using nicotine replacement therapy (like the patch, gum or lozenges) can all help!
The Tobacco Free Lake County program offers support for those interested in quitting their tobacco use:
- Make an appointment with our Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist (CTTS): 847-377-8090, [email protected]
- Individual and group counseling with a CTTS is available free of charge to help adults quit. Participants of cessation programming are eligible to receive low-cost nicotine replacement therapy. Many insurance plans cover the cost of nicotine replacement therapy. Check your plan to see if you qualify.
- Request a quit kit
- Quit kits are available for both teens and adults and include basic information on getting started with the quit process. Adult quit kits are available in both English and Spanish.
- Call the Illinois Tobacco Quitline at 1-866-QUIT-YES and speak to a trained counselor over the phone. The nicotine patch is available to those who qualify. Visit www.quityes.org for more information.
Healthcare Providers can make a difference with even brief interventions (3 minutes or less), and tobacco users who receive advice and/or assistance from their provider are more satisfied with their treatment than those who do not. As a healthcare provider you already have the communication skills you need to treat tobacco-dependent clients. Below are some tips and tools from Tobacco Free Lake County (TFLC) that can assist you in identifying and treating tobacco dependence.
Ask, Advise, Refer
- Ask: Systematically ask every tobacco user about their interest in quitting at every visit. The more frequently the topic of cessation is discussed, the more likely that tobacco user will move forward in the stages of change (PDF).
- Advise: Strongly urge all tobacco users to consider quitting. Make the advice clear, strong and personalized. Ex: "Can I share with you what I know about the effect tobacco use has on your diabetes?" Recommend the use of approved pharmacotherapy (PDF).
- Refer: Directly connect your patient to evidence-based resources for tobacco cessation. Use a fax referral for optimum connection. Local resources include:
- Tobacco Free Lake County one-on-one cessation counseling (fax referral form)
- Free one-on-one counseling
- Low cost nicotine patch, gum and lozenge
- Illinois Tobacco Quitline (fax referral form)
- Free telephone counseling in multiple languages
- Nicotine patches provided to those who qualify
- Tobacco Free Lake County one-on-one cessation counseling (fax referral form)
The Tobacco Free Lake County program can provide your office &/or healthcare setting with adult and teen quit kits in English and Spanish, trainings on treating tobacco use and dependence, and informational handouts for your clients. Contact our office for more information.
FAQs
Who can I talk to?
In order to communicate with a treatment specialist or prevention coordinator, call us at (847) 377-8090.
How is Tobacco Free Lake County funded?
In 1998, the Attorneys General from 46 states won one of the largest lawsuits against America’s tobacco companies. Each year, for 30 years, the State of Illinois will receive a settlement payment from the tobacco industry, and will likely designate a portion of these funds for tobacco education and prevention. The Illinois Department of Public Health disperses this money to local health departments, including the Tobacco Free Lake County program, through the Illinois Tobacco Free Communities Grant.
