Quitline protocols for mental health/substance abuse populations – 4/6/10

Q: The Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Program is hoping to develop a quitline protocol to address mental health/substance abuse populations. Have any other states tailored their quitline protocols for these populations? If so, please share any protocols or research citations that assisted in the development of the protocols.

A:

1. Iowa: Iowa doesn’t. NAQC may be able to put Ohio in contact with the quitline vendors directly.  That sounds like a more efficient way to get the information about which quitlines have a protocol in place and which don’t.
    
   Editor’s note: NAQC is a member-based organization. NAQC members may be able to obtain sample protocols or referrals to quitline vendors that have tailored their protocols for the specific populations of interest.
    
2. Utah: Utah is interested in the responses received as we have just begun a multi-year partnership with our state substance abuse and mental health office. If there are additional insights we should be aware of, we'd be grateful for any leads.
    
   Partner responses:
    
   1. Break Free Alliance 1 (referral to CA Smokers’ Helpline and UCSF Smoking Cessation Leadership Center): Christopher Anderson (Program Director of the California Smokers’ Helpline, cmanderson@ucsd.edu) and Reason Reyes from the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center (reason.reyes@ucsf.edu) can provide more specific information on quitline protocols for mental health/substance abuse populations. Also, this page on SCLC’s website has a lot of information.
       
      On that page you’ll see that SAMHSA and SCLC are conducting a webinar that discusses this issue on April 14th, and you can register directly from that page.
       
      Editor’s note: The SAMHSA/SCLC webinar, “Tailoring the Messages and the Medicines to Optimize Cessation Interventions,” along with other past webinars, has been recorded and archived on the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center website. This presentation addressed the following questions:
   • What has been learned in other addiction services that can be tailored for tobacco cessation?
   • Can tobacco quitlines really work as an intervention strategy?
   • How can partnering benefit both programs and consumers?
      
   2. Break Free Alliance 2 (referral to BeBetter Tobacco Cessation Service): The WV quitline [administered by BeBetter Health] has a toolkit for mental health/substance abuse service providers.
       
      Editor’s note: The toolkit, titled Help to Quit, is a free resource available through BeBetter for developing and delivering effective tobacco cessation programs in the substance abuse disorder and mental health communities. A list of the resources in the toolkit, and links to download them, can be found by clicking here.

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