Debbie Brown looks forward to putting into practice what she has just learned.
“Before joining this class, we just did what we did, without thinking about it or trying to figure out why,” Brown said. “But here we’ve learned how to change unhealthy behaviors. And that’s wonderful.”
For Brown, a 54-year-old Garland resident, change means reducing her smoking habit from one pack a day to one or two packs per week. And, she now has a goal – a specific quit day, thanks to the Smoking Cessation Program she attends at Parkland’s Garland Health Center. Classes are held regularly at several of Parkland Health & Hospital System’s Community Oriented Primary Care health centers (COPCs) in Dallas County.
Thursday, Nov. 17 is this year’s Great American Smokeout, a day when the millions of smokers living in the U.S. are encouraged to give up smoking as a first step toward quitting and to raise awareness about this serious health issue.
Parkland’s smoking cessation classes use a program known as QuitSmart that combines a combination of education, group support and medication to help people kick the habit. Over the past 10 years, hundreds of Dallas County residents have quit smoking and improved their lives, said Juan Prieto, Parkland senior public health educator and the program’s coordinator.
“Research shows that smoking is connected to so many diseases and health problems, from cancer to heart disease and stroke, so quitting is one of the most important steps someone can take to help improve their health,” Prieto said. “Many people who come to our classes have never had the information and support they need to stop smoking.”
Brown said she has learned to stay active and avoid focusing on smoking as a way of relaxing. She also has learned to dodge temptation by asking smokers not to smoke in her house.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40 million adults, about 17 out of 100, were smokers in 2014. And while smoking has seen an overall decline from 21 percent in 2005 to 17 percent in 2014, the numbers remain high among minority adults and those living below the poverty line.
About 26 percent of adults living below the poverty line in 2014 were smokers, compared to 15 percent of those living at or above the poverty line.
“Quitting smoking is not easy and it may take more than one attempt. But years of experience have shown that these classes at our community health centers have a very high success rate,” said Noel Santini, MD, Senior Medical Director of Ambulatory Services at Parkland. “Our approach of combining group sessions with medical supervision and medication works for many of our patients because it provides them several avenues to fight nicotine addiction and the smoking habit.”
Classes currently are open to Parkland patients referred by their primary care physician, social worker, psychologist, dietitian or any clinical staff. Patients can also self-refer by contacting the smoking cessation liaison at their nearest Parkland COPC.
Prieto said the Smoking Cessation classes currently rotate between eight community health centers – Garland, Irving, E. Carlyle Smith Jr., in Grand Prairie, deHaro-Saldivar in West Dallas, Southeast Dallas, the Geriatrics and Senior Care Center and Hatcher Station. A series of classes is held at one of the health centers during spring, summer, fall and winter.
Each course is comprised of three class sessions that help people prepare to quit, quit and learn to live nicotine-free. The classes are free, but there is a $35 charge for materials that include a book, meditation CD and simulated cigarettes that help patients ease off real cigarettes.
Prieto said in 2015, 284 people registered for the classes and 188 completed all three sessions. Twelve months after completion of the classes, 38 percent had significantly reduced their smoking levels and 38 percent had quit completely.
For more information about Smoking Cessation Classes at Parkland health centers, contact Prieto at juan.prieto@phhs.org, or call 214.266.1235. To learn more about services available at Parkland, visit www.parklandhospital.com.
