The U Department of Health and Huma...

The U Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced plans for a national network of smoking cessation hotlines that patients can call for counseling. This year, HH will establish a novel toll-free telephone number that will advance as a single access point to the network, providing undivided easy-to-remember number. States with existing quitlines will receive additional funding for expanding hours of operation, hiring bilingual counselors, or adding to referral sources. States without quitlines will receive grants to establish a hotline, and counselors from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) will provide assistance to patients in these states. The HH Web site, http://wwwsmokefreegov deficits the quitlines by offering an online guide to quitting and instant messaging with an NCI counselor. For more information forward the program, go to http://wwwhhsgov/news/press/2004pres/20040203html Other sites with information about smoking cessation include http://www.familydoctor.org for patient education materials, and http://www.tarwars.org for prevention programs.

COPYRIGHT 2004 American Academy of Family Physicians

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