Leslie Payne, Public Information officer for St. Mary’s County Health Department, reports that the county's annual smoking cessation efforts changed this spring.

This year, the department is offering two options for people wanting to quit smoking and improve their health. Smoke Free for Life, the health department’s traditional smoking cessation program, began it’s first six-week long class on Saturday, April 5, at Ridge Volunteer Rescue Squad.

The program, running now, consists of six weekly Saturday classes from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Rescue Squad building. Program participants receive coupons for free Nicoderm® patches.

The second Smoke Free for Life class begins on Tuesday, May 13. Preregistration is required.

Quit Coaches, the second cessation program offered this spring, is for those who prefer one-on-one support and need to arrange their smoking cessation efforts around their own schedules.

The health department’s one-on-one sessions began Monday, April 7. The will be accepting new participants any time during the next 10 weeks. Participants meet with a Quit Coach for 30 minutes each week for 12 weeks.

Scheduled appointments will take place between the hours of 1 and 7 p.m. on Mondays. Program participants will receive free Chantix® to assist them with the withdrawal symptoms.

Karen Russell, MS, RN, Wellness & Health Promotion program manager, indicated in an interview with The Bay Net that, “The Quit Coaches program is designed to help people overcome all the obstacles.”

The quit coaches work individually with program participants to cope with both physical withdrawal symptoms and the psychological addiction.

“Chantix is a prescription drug that mimics the way nicotine affects receptors in the brain,” said John Boyles, RN, one of the program’s two Quit Coaches.

Lana Horton, RN, C., the second quit coach stated, “It takes seven to 10 days for nicotine to leave the body. After that, the addiction is primarily psychological and that is what the Quit Coaches are for, to help people motivated to quit make it past the psychological barriers while the drug handles the chemical addiction.”

Russell said, “It is a fact that most smokers try to quit five or six times before they are successful.”

When asked what advice she would give to people who have tried and failed in the past, she said, “There are no failures. To try to quit is a success. Think of it this way; those who have tried and not been successful are one less “quit” away from stopping.”

Betsy Tyer, RN, said all program participants need to first see their doctor, get permission to participate and receive a written prescription before they are eligible for the program.

“The health department is not the prescribing agent, only doctors can do that. We are here to administer the program and help participants succeed.”

Each method offers the same support for quitting by teaching participants about the benefits of quitting, how to quit, stress management, and secondhand smoke. Both methods are available free of charge.

You must be at least 18 years old and a resident of St. Mary’s County to attend these programs. For information and to register for either of these programs, call (301) 475-4356.