Contact: Harriet Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.--The Longest Student Health Center at Mississippi State University is one of 10 sites selected to lead the statewide Tobacco Cessation "Office of Champions" Pilot Project administered by the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians Foundation.
Funded by the Office of Tobacco Control in the Mississippi Department of Health, the nine-month project will equip a diverse group of medical practices across the state with tools to integrate cessation activities into the daily office routine and to cultivate a tobacco-free culture.
According to Kim Erickson, MAFPF tobacco specialist, MSU's Student Health Center was chosen because of its extensive patient base, "especially with our state's future leaders, the students," she said.
"There's strong evidence that advice from a health care professional can more than double smoking cessation success rates. Research shows that patients are more satisfied with their health care if their primary care provider offers smoking cessation interventions--even if patients are not yet ready to quit," Erickson explained.
Dr. Bob Collins, director of University Health Services at Mississippi State, said the Student Health Center starts with the first visit asking about tobacco use and reminding students at every visit that it is an unhealthy behavior.
"If a student graduates and is still smoking, there is less than a 5 percent chance they will quit before they have done significant damage to their health," he explained.
Collins also pointed out that tobacco is the gateway drug to all forms of substance abuse, before alcohol, marijuana, opiates or cocaine.
"College is the first time most students are out from under their parents' direct supervision, and hence, have the opportunity to make unwise choices," he said.
The Student Health Center and Mississippi's family physicians are taking a frontline approach to helping students make better choices and aiding smokers in meeting their tobacco-free goal.
Dr. Joyce Yates, the center's health education and wellness director, will work with MAFPF representatives to develop a tobacco control integration plan. She will serve as the Student Health Center's "Office Champion" and leader on the project, recommending and managing office system changes and promoting cessation activities.
Nationally, tobacco addiction annually causes 440,000 deaths, making it the most preventable cause of death. Of the 46 million current U.S. smokers, 70 percent say they would like to quit.
Other sites in Mississippi selected for the pilot project are:
District 1 - Picayune Family Care Center
District 2 - Inland Family Practice Center, Hattiesburg
District 3 - Magnolia Clinic
District 4 - Baptist Northtown Clinic, Jackson
District 5 - Ard Medical Clinic, Louisville
District 6 - Mission Primary Care, Vicksburg
District 7 - Indianola Family Medical Clinic
District 9 - Family Medical Clinic of North Mississippi, Southaven
District 10 - North Mississippi Medical Center, Family Medicine Residency Center, Tupelo
For more information about the project, contact Dr. Yates at 662-325-7545 or jyates@saffairs.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see www.msstate.edu/.