Tobacco Cessation Toolkit for Behavioral Health Providers
This toolkit was developed for a broad continuum of mental health (MH) and substance use treatment professionals providing care for individuals who use tobacco products. According to the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Commission, individuals living with a serious mental illness (SMI) have a high smoking prevalence, low quit rates, and may not have tobacco treatment considered a priority within the behavioral health setting.
Factors Impacting Health Equity Among Behavioral Health Patients Who Use Tobacco
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), health equity is the opportunity for everyone to reach their full health potential, regardless of any socially determined circumstance. Health equity can be achieved in tobacco cessation and sustained by eliminating the differences in education and encouraging your patients’ success.
We understand the following factors can disproportionally affect people living with mental illnesses:
- Poverty
- Housing issues
- Insufficient social support
- Discrimination
- Poor quality of schools attended
- Difficulty in accessing care
- Lack of transportation
Provider Resources
Review the tools below to help educate and encourage members with tobacco cessation.
- The Brief Tobacco Intervention: The 2 As & R (Ask, Advise & Refer) and The 5 As (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange): Brief Tobacco Intervention Guideposts TrueCare believes at every visit, patients should be assessed for tobacco use.
- Unwillingness to Quit: The 5 Rs: The 5 Rs: For Use With Patients Who Use Tobacco But Are Unwilling to Quit at This Time.
- Guide to Quitting Smoking: American Cancer Society—Guide to Quitting Smoking
- The Benefits of Quitting: American Heart Association
- Quick Reference Guide Cessation Toolkit: American Lung Association- Quick Reference Guide