TCI
The Tobacco Control Initiative (TCI), supported by Louisiana cigarette taxes through the LA Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living, implements and evaluates multi-level tobacco cessation services in Louisiana’s 10 public hospitals.
TCI combines behavioral counseling, social support and pharmacotherapy at the tobacco cessation resource at each hospital to assist patients in their efforts to discontinue tobacco use.
Committed to continuous quality improvement, TCI extends communication with area hospitals and doctors and provides standardized smoking cessation services to patients and employees of HCSD public hospitals.
TCI uses several research methods to gather dependable data:
- The Baseline Facility Assessment was distributed to all facilities in the public health system to determine the existing policies, services and practices of the facilities in February 2004.
- Patient surveys were administered to characterize the prevalence and patterns of tobacco use among patients. A total of 780 surveys from 10 hospitals have been completed.
- The Tobacco Registry electronically registers tobacco users within HCSD public hospitals for treatment.
In accordance with the National Clinical Practice Guidelines, TCI implements evidence-based treatment for tobacco use and dependence to offer to clinicians opportunities to reduce loss of live and improve the health of their patients.
Tobacco use exacerbates all chronic illnesses within the HCSD Disease Management Program, including congestive heart failure, asthma, cancer, HIV/AIDS and diabetes.
TCI is administered by the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Public Health in partnership with the Health Care Services Division and the Louisiana Health Services Center in Shreveport.
For more information about this program, contact:
Sarah Moody Thomas, PhD
Program Director
504-599-1396
sthoma@lsuhsc.edu
Joenell Henry-Tanner
Program Manager
504-218-2320
jhenr1@lsuhsc.edu