B.C. smokers continue to call 8-1-1 for help butting out

British Columbians continue to light up the phone lines at 8-1-1, with almost 34,000 smokers calling for help quitting.

The province's smoking cessation program, which launched on Sept. 30, supports British Columbians who wish to quit smoking and is accessed by calling and registering with HealthLink BC. Once each calendar year, B.C. residents registered with the Medical Services Plan can receive PharmaCare coverage of a single continuous course of treatment of a prescription smoking cessation drug or a free 12-week supply of a Nicotine peplacement therapy product.

To date, 12,706 people have chosen to use a prescription drug through their physician and 21,072 people have registered with HealthLink BC and filled an order for nicotine gum or patch.

Seventy-nine per cent of new registrants have chosen to pick up their prescription at a pharmacy rather than have the NRT mailed directly to their home. And 49 per cent of people who registered with the program in its first three weeks of operation have now placed a refill order.

After contacting 8-1-1 to register for the program, all registrants are encouraged to contact QuitNow Services for further support in quitting.

QuitNow has received 5,082 new web, text and telephone registrants since the program began.

"The response to this program continues to be phenomenal, with a steady stream of smokers contacting HealthLink BC over the past seven weeks," said Minister of Health Michael de Jong. "The effects of tobacco use place a significant strain on the health of smokers and their families as well as on B.C.'s health-care system through an increased incidence of respiratory illness, heart disease and cancer."

For more information on quitting and how to plan see www.health.gov.bc.ca/pharmacare/stop-smoking/or www.quitnow.ca.

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