For Immediate Release
May 28, 2008
GHP trains the trainer on tobacco cessation
Tobacco use is responsible for more than 430,000 deaths annually
DANVILLE, PA –In an effort to combat tobacco use and educate individuals who work with tobacco users, Geisinger Health Plan hosted a tobacco cessation counselor training for more than 30 doctors, nurses, wellness specialists and employers.
The goal of the day-long training session was for the participants to understand the impact of tobacco dependence, and learn about the various drug therapy and counseling treatment services available to tobacco users.
The training was led by Geisinger Health Plan Senior Project Coordinator Tina Wydra and Diane Littlewood, RN, BSN, CDE. According to Wydra, "It's important to provide education on tobacco cessation to those individuals who work directly with the tobacco users. We specifically tell participants that tobacco cessation counseling needs to be addressed as both a chronic disease and a drug dependency. It is not just a bad habit."
Participant Shannon Price from the Bushkill Group, Bushkill, attended the training session to help her group become tobacco-free in September. "I never realized that quitting tobacco wasn't easy. I'm not a smoker myself," says Price. "This not only gave me an understanding of what our employees who use tobacco will go through if they decide to quit, but will help me provide information and resources to make this transition better for them. They don't have to do it alone."
According to the American Lung Association, approximately 25 percent of adult Americans smoke. One third of all tobacco users in this country will die prematurely from tobacco dependence, losing an average of 14 years.
Geisinger Health Plan, begun in 1985, is headquartered in Danville, PA and is one of the nation's largest rural HMOs. The Health Plan serves more than 210,000 members in 42 counties. Members of the Health Plan have access to complete health-care benefits, from preventive care and routine office visits to hospital care and surgery; and an extensive network of primary care physicians, including affiliations with hospitals, pharmacies, and home health and rehabilitation services. Coverage is available for businesses of all sizes, individuals and families, and Medicare beneficiaries. Self-funded and indemnity plans are sold through Geisinger Indemnity Insurance Company. PPO and high deductible plans are sold through Geisinger Quality Options, Inc.
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For more information, please contact
Amy Bowen, Public Relations Coordinator, (570) 271-8135