Community Quit Smoking Supports
Published Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Quitting smoking is the single best thing that you can do for your health, but it can be very difficult to quit. That is why there are many different quit smoking supports and resources available to you. For a full list of Quit Supports please visit: www.nwquit.com
Some of the local smoking cessation resources include:
Take Control: Personal Tobacco-Free Counselling:
The “Take Control” clinic is operated by Thunder Bay District Health Unit and is designed to help clients get the tools they need to quit tobacco use. Through this clinic, clients will meet with a Tobacco Quit Nurse for free personal, confidential one-on-one counselling. During these sessions, the Health Unit helps clients create an individualized “quit plan” and offer support as needed during and after they quit to help them in their new tobacco-free life. Services are available to all residents of Thunder Bay District.
To set up an appointment, please call (807) 625-5900 or go to www.tbdhu.com
Smokers’ Helpline:
Smokers’ Helpline is a service operated by the Canadian Cancer Society. They offer free personalized advice, counselling and a quit plan that suits you. They are accessible by phone, online and even text. Smokers’ Helpline often holds annual quit smoking contests. For more information call 1-877-513-5333 or visit www.smokershelpline.ca.
Community Pharmacists and Family Health Teams:
Pharmacists’ practice has expanded to include smoking cessation counselling and they can prescribe and dispense medications for quitting smoking. Family Health Teams have also been hosting quit smoking clinics and packages for their patients. These are great opportunities to work with your healthcare providers to make a plan to quit smoking. As an added bonus, these opportunities may also easily align with your work benefits plan if smoking cessation coverage is included.
NWQuit.com:
This is a website developed by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit that shares quit smoking stories from people who have quit smoking, as well as a full directory of quit smoking services and resources across Northwestern Ontario. Visit, www.nwquit.com.
Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients (STOP) Program
STOP on the Road is a program offered throughout Ontario and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit provides these workshops at regular intervals in the communities throughout the Thunder Bay District. It delivers smoking cessation treatment and counselling to eligible smokers who wish to quit smoking. The research-based program helps improve quitting success by providing:
- A two-three hour educational workshop to provide coping tools
- A five-week course of nicotine patches
For more information visit: www.tbdhu.com
The Quit Coach:
Long-time smoking cessation advocate, Jim Morris, offers an individual smoking cessation counselling service. Call The Quit Coach at (807) 472-6309 or email him at jtmorris@tbaytel.net to find out more about his service.
Other Helpful Resources:
Sometimes the decision to quit smoking is based on timing. For patients at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre who have decided ‘now’ is the time to quit, there are supports. Ask your health care provider about your quit smoking options.
For more information on smoking cessation resources available in our region, visit: www.tbrhsc.net/smokefree.
Quitting smoking is the single best thing that you can do for your health, but it can be very difficult to quit. This is why there are many different quit smoking supports and resources available to you, including: Smokers’ Helpline, Take Control: Personal Tobacco-Free Counselling, community pharmacists, family health team’s, The Quit Coach and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.