November 7, 2019
We hope you enjoy this monthly newsletter fr om the Training & Education Program at the Center for Tobacco Independence.
Upcoming Trainings
Please click on the orange titles for more information and to register. We hope to see you!


Webinars


Wednesday, November 20, 2019 – 12 to 1pm

Presenter: Edward Perka Jr, CASAC, ICADC, NCTTP

This webinar will explore some of the ways that providers can make it a priority to walk the walk and model self-care for their clients and patients.



Tuesday, December 3, 2019 – 12 to 1pm

Presenter: Amanda Graham, PhD – Chief of Innovations, Truth Initiative

This webinar (#2 in our series on ENDS) will summarize the available evidence about e-cigarette cessation, and describe population-based strategies to support e-cigarette users of all ages in their efforts to quit vaping.



Intensive Skills


December 4th & 5th – Hampton Inn, Waterville

This two-day skills-focused training will build on knowledge gained in the Tobacco Intervention: Basic Skills Training*.
Participants will:

  • Explore the value of a comprehensive tobacco use assessment
  • Learn to develop effective treatment plans
  • Discuss considerations for medication management
  • Review relapse prevention strategies
  • Build on motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy skills

Looking to get certified?

The Intensive Skills Training is a required part of the pathway toward becoming nationally certified as a tobacco treatment specialist .

*If you are interested in this offering but have not yet taken a Basic Skills Training, we'd love to talk with you. Please contact us to discuss options.

Note: this training will also be offered April 15th & 16th – AC Hotel, Portland


What's the Research?
Helping People with Low Income Quit Tobacco - Using Incentives

It is known that sociologically disadvantaged individuals have higher rates of tobacco use and are less successful in their quit attempts than the general population. This puts people with incomes below the poverty line at a higher risk for cancer and other smoking-related diseases.

One idea to boost their success is to offer incentives, including money or gift cards, in exchange for participation in evidence-based treatment. But do these kinds of incentives work?

A recent study explored this question. Among 1,900 low-income participants, half received $30 per call for taking up to five tobacco calls from a tobacco quit line, and $40 for biochemically verified tobacco abstinence at 6 months. The other half of the participants did not receive financial incentives for taking quit line calls.

It was found that the quit rates among the group that received the incentives was higher than those of the control group. Of course funding sources must be considered, but based on long-term costs per quitter, financial incentives to increase engagement with evidence-based treatments and to promote increased long-term abstinence appear to be a cost-effective option.

To see the article, click HERE.


Article citation: Mundt, M. P., Baker, T. B., Fraser, D. L., Smith, S. S., Piper, M. E., & Fiore, M. C. (2019). Paying Low-Income Smokers to Quit? The Cost-Effectiveness of Incentivizing Tobacco Quit Line Engagement for Medicaid Recipients Who Smoke. Value Health, 22 (2), 177-184. 
ENDS and Pregnancy
Many people know that they should not smoke when pregnant, but what about ENDS (electronic nicotine delivery systems, or e-cigarettes)? Are those safer? Is it okay to use e-cigarettes when breastfeeding?

With all the news swirling about electronic products and vaping, it can be difficult to keep up. What should you tell your clients or patients?

The short answer is this:

Currently, according to the CDC, vaping is not considered safe for anyone due to an outbreak of lung illness associated with e-cigarettes and vaping . (See the most updated information about the outbreak here .)

Beyond the emerging concerns about lung illness, vaping is known to be particularly dangerous for pregnant and breastfeeding women. This is because the nicotine that's present in most e-cigarettes can cause complications during pregnancy, low birth weight, abnormal brain development and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), among other issues. After birth, nicotine passes into breastmilk, which can cause a host of other problems.

E-cigarettes also contain other substances that are harmful to a developing baby, like heavy metals, flavorings, and cancer-causing chemicals.

Learn more about what to say to your patients and clients HERE.
Selected Resource
Referring Patients for Tobacco Treatment - The Maine Tobacco HelpLine and the Quitlink

There have been some exciting updates to the Maine Tobacco HelpLine. Most notably, registration AND treatment can now be done completely online through the Quitlink!

Check out the newest information. Download the fact sheet HERE.

To see all the materials in our updated toolkit, click HERE!

For more information about the Training & Education Program, visit:

MaineHealth Center for Tobacco Independence (CTI)
Tobacco Treatment Training and Education Program
CTI provides education and training on evidence-based tobacco treatment to healthcare and behavioral health professionals in Maine on behalf of the Maine CDC, DHHS. Our goal is to improve access to high quality, best practice tobacco treatment and create a network of tobacco treatment specialists across the state.