Another option for Central Oregonians tobacco users is opening in Bend. Customize Your Quit: Tobacco Cessation For Life is a new tobacco cessation service offered by Anne Palmer, certified tobacco cessation facilitator and founder of Bend Memorial Clinic’s quit smoking program.
“I grew up in a cloud of smoke,” says Palmer. “Having experienced every aspect of the smoking lifestyle, I became passionate about understanding tobacco’s deadly grip and how to break it. When given the opportunity at BMC to work directly with a wide variety of patients, I was struck even more profoundly by the havoc that tobacco wreaks.
Each tobacco user is unique, so it is important to invest the time and skill set into understanding each person’s specific situation. It is all about customizing a quit plan that is built around individual needs, health history, relationships, workplace, etc.”
Workplace tobacco cessation is on Palmer’s menu of services. She notes that tobacco users on company payroll are increasingly expensive. Recent studies have estimated that each smoker costs employers up to $6,000 annually, thanks to increased healthcare outlays and lost productivity. By supplying on-site employee quit support, business owners can invest cost-effectively in their employees’ well being and improve their own bottom lines.
Palmer emphasizes that it is critical for tobacco users to consult with their healthcare providers. Information is power, especially information about complications that already have been caused by years of tobacco use. Only a physician or mid-level can prescribe pharmacological aids.
Palmer has worked closely with staff at St. Charles, as well as BMC, to help strengthen the services available to local residents. With St. Charles now offering bedside consults for hospitalized tobacco users, Palmer says Bend is becoming more proactive in addressing the tobacco epidemic. “We may not perceive Central Oregon as a hotbed of tobacco use, but unfortunately, we have no shortage of people struggling to quit or young people being lured into the tobacco lifestyle.
