Sandi Kaplan, MS, RD, Associate Director, Clinical Development & Support:   I am somewhat of a reluctant exerciser. My parents report that I was never one of those kids who moved constantly. I always preferred reading a book to playing with a ball outdoors. And I was thrilled when my middle school offered drama as one of the sports electives. Now, that was my kind of sport! However, my saving grace in the physical activity realm was tap dance classes. I tap danced for many hours a w... [More]

Janice Milliman, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   Like many, I've been closely following the legal and moral debates over e-cigarettes. Out of my own curiosity and a yearning to understand each participant's experience, I wanted to know more from people who have actually used the e-cig. So, I conducted my own non-scientific poll about e-cigs. I know the findings are not scientific, the sample size was way too small, and definitely not random or unbiased (after all, the people I spo... [More]

Ryan Crawford, Quit Coach Supervisor, Service Delivery:   Ron feels liberated. Matt is proud. Gregory can’t believe it. Jay loves it. Dustin is confident. James is free. We’ve come to the end of the road. Our tobacco cessation support group at the Gay City Health Project joins for one last classroom session on Tuesday 2/16. The guys sit around the table and announce how they have quit successfully. “I’ve smoked for 28 years,” Gregory shakes his head. He smirks impishly and a... [More]

Ryan Crawford, Quit Coach Supervisor, Service Delivery:   Ask anyone who has quit an addiction, “If ever you relapse, what would be the one thing that could bring you back?” Stress will likely be the answer. Breakups, breakdowns, layoffs, lawsuits: when stress hits, the reflex kicks in, and you might think of smoking without consciously meaning to. Tuesday 2/2 marks our fifth session as the Out To Quit group. 6 returning gay men sit around the long table with Dan at the front. Dan... [More]

Jason Kalivas, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   A lot of the people I help on the phones have a social cue to smoke. If their friends or co-workers light up, there they go. Some people have a trigger so strong that even seeing someone smoke on TV or in the movies is enough to cause an urge. Though I’ve always had empathy, I never really understood an urge that strong until I watched Mad Men. A drama about the early 1960's New York advertising world, historical accuracy wafts over t... [More]

Ryan Crawford, Quit Coach Supervisor, Service Delivery:   “What do you love about smoking?” Lark’s question is greeted by silence. The meeting starts off quietly—everyone is still becoming acquainted. Today, Tuesday 1/12, is the second meeting for the Out To Quit group. We have 9 returning gay men seeking support in quitting smoking. This meeting, Session 2, is their first step on that road. As a facilitator, Lark calls on each participant to get their thoughts. Dan and I assis... [More]

Sandi Kaplan, MS, RD, Associate Director, Clinical Development & Support:   It was October 12th, 2009 at 6:30 a.m.  I was lying on a stretcher in an ambulance on the way to the ER. It was not quite the way I had expected my morning to go (the ambulance driver reminded me this is most often the case for people who end up in an ambulance)! I had gotten up bright and early and was in the gym by 5:30 a.m. I was doing the workout that I had been doing four times a week for the previous n... [More]

Ryan Crawford, Quit Coach Supervisor, Service Delivery:   It’s Tuesday, January 5th. By the time I finish work, it’s completely dark in Seattle and the traffic is thinning. I bolt uphill on foot to Capitol Hill, where I’m about to meet strangers—I’m hoping for five, maybe six. I’m the last one to arrive at the Gay City Health Project, so I blush when I walk through the doors and all faces turn to me. More than five, more than six. There are twelve! These men and the two other facili... [More]

Jennifer Pech-Cinnamon, Operations Program Administrator, Clinical & Behavioral Sciences:   Sometimes, caught up in the everydayness of work, it can be hard to remember how important what we’re doing really is or how far the impact reaches. We at Free & Clear have helped almost 1 million people make positive changes in their lives! As a celebration and reminder, Free & Clear's Making A Difference (MAD) Committee created the Seeds of Change project--so we can have a tangible symbol of ou... [More]

Ken Wassum, Senior Product Manager, Tobacco:   Ever go on a camping trip and find that you only have two of the three tent poles you need to set up your tent – and it has started to rain? Or maybe you’ve found yourself cooking a special meal only to realize that you don’t have a key ingredient and all your guests have arrived. We’ve all felt unprepared at one time or another; depending on the situation, the ramifications can range from discomfort to disaster.  The New Year is the ... [More]