February 14, 2008

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) announced today that its free online tobacco training program, "Treating Tobacco Dependence in Michigan: Implementing Effective Cessation Interventions and Systems," is available.

Produced by MDCH's Tobacco Section in conjunction with the Michigan Smoke free Hospitals Grant, the training teaches health care providers how to intervene with patients who use tobacco and ways to implement procedures and systems that encourage tobacco cessation efforts.

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, causing between 14,500 to 14,800 premature deaths annually in Michigan. Michigan's top four leading causes of death - heart disease, cancer, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - are all associated with smoking. Cessation advice and help to quit is ranked as one of the top three most cost effective preventive health care services - meaning it provides better value for the dollar - than waiting to treat smoking related diseases.

The training offers information on nicotine addiction medication, how to identify patients who smoke as well as provide assistance for those who wish to quit, how to motivate adult and pediatric tobacco users to quit, and development of inpatient and outpatient tobacco cessation education/treatment programs.

The web-based training is available at: www.michigan.gov/tobacco. For more information, please call Elaine Lyon at (517) 241-1195.