Heidi Gray, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   Helping smokers quit may be the best thing that doctors can do for their patients’ health given the prevalence of tobacco-use-related deaths. Despite this, many doctors and health care professionals are uncomfortable helping their patients quit smoking. In my job as a Quit Coach, I hear many times a day that doctors recommend quitting, but very rarely do I hear accounts of personal guidance or assistance from health care professionals. A... [More]

Gillian Schauer, Program Manager, Tobacco Cessation Resource Center:   A recent U.S. study in Health News reported that many health care providers are not receiving adequate training in tobacco intervention, stating that 87% to 93% of doctors and other health care providers receive less than five hours of training. The results of this recent study are not surprising to the Tobacco Cessation Resource Center (TCRC). As noted by other researchers, providers are increasingly pressed f... [More]

Gillian Schauer, Program Manager, Tobacco Cessation Resource Center:   Washington State celebrated a great achievement last week: the smoking rate for adults has continued to drop over the past year. Now, only about 16.5 percent of all adults in Washington smoke, according to the Washington State Department of Health. According to the CDC, smoking in Washington State has dropped by over 25 percent since 2000. That translates to about 240,000 fewer adult smokers than in 2000. Washington’s... [More]