Last week the National Business Group on Health (NBGH) held a teleconference to announce the launch of their new tobacco website for employers, which coincided with the Great American Smokeout.

The NBGH hopes this site, which walks employers through the different stages of implementing a smoke-free initiative, will be the definitive resource for employers on tobacco cessation.

Dr. Fred Williams, Director of Health Benefits Management at Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, spent some time during the conference discussing the success that Quest has found with Free & Clear’s Quit For Life™ Program (See this and other case studies here) and the positive impact the program has made on Quest’s population.

Dr. Williams spoke of the reduction in smoking prevalence that dropped from 16% of all employees 2005 to 12.5% in 2007. He discussed the importance of employer commitment and employee engagement when launching a tobacco-free initiative, and announced that last week they celebrated the 3,000th person enrolled in the Quit For Life Program—a little over two people a day for the last three and a half years.

Williams concluded the teleconference by surmising: “So what have we learned thus far? I think it is that a combination of senior management support, effective education, fully engaged and enthusiastic volunteers and a well-researched and an effective tobacco cessation program can lead to significant success in improving the health of individuals.”

We encourage you to spend some time perusing the new NBGH tobacco site to learn more about how offering a tobacco cessation program can help you build a healthier workforce.