Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #110072

Ann H. Wendling, MD, MPH, Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco, 8011 34th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55425, 9527671411, awendling@mpaat.org

The Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco(MPAAT) is an independent non-profit 501(c)3 funded in 1998 with a portion of Minnesota's tobacco settlement. MPAAT was directed by the District Court in 2002 to implement a comprehensive array of cessation services as soon as “practically possible”.

Minnesota's tobacco telephone helpline had previously been counseling clients since May, 2001. Under the QUITPLAN(SM) name, further components including web-based counseling, face-to-face counseling in health care centers and worksites, and culturally-tailored cessation were added.

The helpline, renamed the QUITPLAN Helpline, provides proactive telephone counseling and up to eight weeks of nicotine replacement therapy(NRT) to Minnesotans who do not have health insurance or access to phone counseling through their health plans.

The tobacco treatment website, www.quitplan.com, offers free help to all Minnesotans who want to quit smoking or have recently quit. Users have access to self-evaluations, personalized quitting plans, and expert advice from online treatment specialists.

QUITPLAN Centers provide face-to-face counseling to tobacco users, whether insured or uninsured, who are ready to quit within 30 days. MPAAT provides NRT to uninsured clients and provides members of health plans with prescriptions for NRT. The QUITPLAN at Work program sends trained cessation counselors to worksites for group counseling sessions and provides participants with access to other QUITPLAN services. A community-tailored QUITPLAN program provides culturally tailored cessation for communities of color and American Indian nations.

Implementation challenges and program satisfaction among various service components will be presented.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Understand the value of a multi-faceted approach to tobacco cessation
• Address the challenges involved in initiating various types of cessation counseling
• Appreciate the importance of health plan/"public" collaboration in optimizing and maximizing service delivery

Keywords: Tobacco,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.