Keys residents looking to kick their smoking habit for good will have even more support on their side thanks to a partnership between Keys Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) and Tobacco Free Florida (TFF).
Already known as one of the Keys’ largest advocates for community and children’s health and education, AHEC’s tobacco cessation services are offered for free within Monroe County. Those looking to quit can choose their preferred participation method with local tobacco treatment counselors, and for a limited time, group quit session participants are eligible for $50 to $125 gift cards for attending.
Quit Smoking Now is a four-week, in-person, one-hour-per-session group course that works with clients on the process of planning, quitting, managing triggers and preventing relapse. Quit Smoking Now sessions are held throughout the Keys, with all clients eligible for two free disbursements of nicotine replacement therapy.
Tools to Quit is a one-time group counseling session preparing clients for the journey to quit smoking by reviewing steps in the process and identifying participants’ needs and challenges to give them a head start in the quitting process. Participants receive one free disbursement of nicotine replacement therapy and may return for another session if they need further support.
Clients may also participate virtually in Tools to Quit via a Zoom meeting available three days per week in Monroe County, and if none of the prior options are viable for clients due to health or other considerations, counselors can arrange to conduct a telephone counseling session.
“Working with Tobacco Free Florida and the state surgeon general has allowed us to not only provide no-cost nicotine replacement therapy such as patches, gum and lozenges, but now also gift cards to Publix ranging from $50 to $125,” said Keys AHEC CEO Michael Cunningham. “There’s never been a better time to enroll.”
Responsible for more than 480,000 deaths each year, cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, according to TFF. Every year, smoking claims 32,300 lives in Florida alone. For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 more live with a serious illness related to smoking, meaning that more than 16 million Americans live with a disease caused by smoking.
The body begins to heal within hours after quitting. According to TFF, two to five years after quitting, an individual’s risk of stroke is reduced to that of a non-smoker’s. In five years, the chance of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus and bladder is cut in half. In 15 years, the risk of coronary heart disease is back to that of a non-smoker’s.
More information is available by calling 305-743-7111, ext. 205 or visiting keysahec.org/tobacco-cessation. Health care providers can provide client referrals by completing a Tobacco Cessation referral form and emailing it to tobacco@ahec.ufl.edu. For additional resources with even more support to help quit smoking, visit tobaccofreeflorida.com/quityourway.
