| Page 1 |
SUMMARY
HIGHLIGHTS
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of death
and disease in the United States. Cigarette smoking kills more than 480,000 Americans each year, with more than 41,000 of these
deaths from exposure to secondhand smoke. In addition, smoking-related illness in the United States costs more than $289 billion
a year, including at least $133 billion in direct medical care for adults and $156 billion in lost productivity.
In fiscal year 2013 – 2014, St. Luke’s Tobacco Cessation Treatment Center enrolled 202 new patients from Lehigh, Northamp-
ton, Carbon, Montgomery, and Wyoming counties. Patients received individual cessation counseling at the St. Luke’s Communi-
ty Health Office in Bethlehem, Nesquehoning Community Health office, Southside Medical Clinic and Allentown Health Center,
all which have high rates of underinsured and uninsured patients. The following data is for the 202 patients enrolled in cessation
services in FY 2013-2014.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
nationally, nearly 1 in 5 adults (or 45.7 million adults) have some
form of mental illness, and 36% of these people smoke cigarettes.
In comparison, 21% of adults without mental illness smoke ciga-
rettes. At St. Luke’s Tobacco Cessation Treatment Center, 36% of
our patients enrolled in counseling reported a mental health diagno-
sis. Out of these patients, 47% reported having depression and 25%
anxiety.
During FY 14, 36% of our patients enrolled in counseling reported
having a mental health diagnosis. Unexpectedly, the quit rate of
patients who reported having a mental health diagnosis com-
pared to patients who did not report having a mental health diag-
nosis was the same. When treating our patients with mental
health diagnoses, our counselors pay close attention to the medi-
cations they are taking, and ensure that the nicotine replacement
therapy does not interfere with antidepressants, and/or
antipsychotics. This has been a great resource to help patients
quit.
HIGHLIGHTS
SUCCESSES
CHALLENGES & NEXT STEPS
This past year, St. Luke’s Tobacco Cessation Treatment Center contracted with Crayola to provide smoking cessation services to
its employees. Employees enrolled in the program had a quit rate of 63%. Additionally, a worksite assessment was completed at
Fulton Financial Corporation in Northampton County, Lehigh Valley Children Center in Lehigh County, and RG Balliet & Son
Agency in Carbon County but no cessation services were provided. The worksite assessments consisted of the review of existing
tobacco and wellness policies and identified areas for policy education and improvement.
Report Submitted in 2014
• During this FY 14, the program experienced a dramatic reduction in funding which caused higher drop out rates than previ-
ous fiscal years. This also affected the number of patients who were still enrolled working towards quitting. Due to the lim-
ited funding, staff was reduced and we were not able to provide follow-up services to those patients who enrolled in the
program at the beginning of the fiscal year. Once the funding was partially restored, some of those patients did not return
for services.
• St. Luke’s Tobacco Treatment Center also partnered with AIDS Services Center to provide cessation counseling to HIV
positive patients as one of the quality management measurements. The goal of this intervention was to increase the number
of referrals for tobacco counseling to 100% and increase those who received counseling to 50%. At the end of the FY 14,
only 80% of the patients were referred to our Tobacco Cessation Program, and out of those referred only 40% received ces-
sation counseling services. Due to program funding cuts and staffing changes, this project was impacted and we were not
able to meet program goals. St. Luke’s Tobacco Cessation Treatment Center and AIDS Services Center have decided to
continue working on this project in FY 2015 to meet the target goals.