Ochsner is pleased to kick off 2017 with the announcement of our Ochsner Smoking Cessation Clinic, a Department of Ochsner Medical Center! Our smoking cessation clinic will offer free or reduced pricing for patients for services to help them kick their smoking habit for good!
Ochsner is partnering with the Smoking Cessation Trust to offer free or reduced cost counseling and medications for anyone wanting to make a healthy lifestyle change. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease in the United States with 400,000 lives lost and more than 3 Billion dollars in health care cost and productivity losses in Louisiana alone.
Tell me more. What are the next steps to get started?
IMPORTANT NOTE: To be a part of the free or reduced program, you must have started smoking prior to 1988 and be a Louisiana resident. If you believe you or your spouse/domestic partner fit in this category follow these next steps:
Step 1: Contact 504-842-7490 or 1-844-371-5806 to speak to a Smoking Cessation Coordinator.
If you qualify for the free or reduced program, you’ll have access to cessation medications, individual/group counseling, telephone quit line support, a Quit Coach and more.
When will the clinic be opening?
The Ochsner Smoking Cessation Clinic is open.
Where will the clinic be located?
Clinics are located everywhere. Call 504-842-7490 or 1-844-371-5806 to find a clinic near you.
What exactly is the Smoking Cessation Trust?
In late 2011, the final judgment in a 14-year-old class action lawsuit (Scott v. American Tobacco Company) ordered certain tobacco companies to fund a 10-year statewide smoking cessation program. The new program will benefit more than 200,000 Louisiana smokers – members of the plaintiff class referred to as the Scott Class, which is defined in the judgment as all Louisiana residents who developed a smoking habit before September 1, 1988. In 2012, the court-established and court-supervised Smoking Cessation Trust (SCT) began work to set up the cessation program as planned, using funds provided by those tobacco companies. Any current Louisiana resident who was a smoker prior to September 1, 1988, and wants to stop smoking cigarettes can apply for Scott Class membership today by completing a one-page application for benefits for their card.
If you have more questions about becoming tobacco free at Ochsner, email tobaccofree@ochsner.org.
If you have more questions about how the Smoking Cessation Trust works, you can contact them directly through the resources on our exclusive Ochsner website for the Smoking Cessation Trust.