pharmacists at eight of the drugstore chain's convenient Louisville locations are partnering with Passport Health Plan, a local Medicaid health plan, on a new smoking cessation program which launched in early January 2012. The program is free to Walgreens customers and Passport members and aims to improve the community's health by giving smokers the tools, resources and ongoing clinical pharmacist counseling to help achieve their cessation goals.
Participating Walgreens pharmacists and technicians have undergone specialized training provided by the Kentucky Cancer Program at the University of Louisville's James Graham Brown Cancer Center. The program provides further education on tobacco treatment, and helped in the development of Walgreens formal, 12-month process for helping those interested in tobacco cessation.
"The harmful effects of tobacco use are well-documented, and by working closely with our community pharmacists who people know and trust, we hope to encourage more smokers under Passport Health Plan to improve their health through this free program to help them quit," said Greg Baker, Walgreens pharmacy supervisor for Louisville. "The cessation process can be very challenging. We believe the ongoing dialogue with pharmacists, who are among the most accessible health care professionals in the community, can be an effective tool in working with and supporting people to overcome those challenges."
"Smoking and tobacco use are complex problems that require different approaches to adequately address," said Stephen Houghland, M.D., chief medical officer for Passport Health Plan. "We believe that addressing this critical driver of negative health outcomes in as many areas where our members are, and with people they trust, is a great opportunity to truly make a difference in their health and quality of life."
Passport Health Plan members identified as tobacco users can enroll by visiting one of the eight participating Walgreens pharmacy locations. Upon enrollment, pharmacists will work with patients through a multi-step process that includes:-- Information and education on smoking cessation
-- Cessation options and tools, products and therapies
-- Regularly-scheduled patient follow up for the next 12 monthsWalgreens will be sharing program results with Passport Health Plan on a monthly basis and will also be measuring the program's effectiveness for individuals enrolled over a six- and 12-month period.
"We applaud Walgreens for stepping up to help patients in two districts of Kentucky and Southern Indiana end tobacco use, in this pilot initiative," said Celeste T. Worth, Professional Education and Training Manager at the Kentucky Cancer Program. "We are pleased to work with Walgreens pharmacies in their efforts to help customers get the medications and counseling they need to successfully overcome nicotine addiction."
