SALT LAKE CITY - In a press conference today, the Utah Departments of Health (UDOH) and Human Services (DHS) reported that by July 1, 2012, more than 150 publicly-funded substance abuse and mental health facilities across Utah will have implemented a tobacco-free environment campus policy. The facilities will also be offering tobacco cessation treatments for their clients as a part of the Recovery Plus Wellness Initiative.
Dr. Robert Rolfs, Deputy Director, Utah Department of
Health, said that research supports concurrent treatment for substance abuse
and tobacco cessation.
“Studies show that substance abuse patients who also smoke
can increase their rate of recovery by up to 25 percent when they receive
treatment for both addictions simultaneously,” Rolfs said.
Clients have also found the programs useful in their
recovery.
“I was able to incorporate the same principles I was using
to stop using drugs and alcohol, said Danielle, a client at the House of Hope.
“I used those same principles, techniques, and tools in not smoking. It was a
combination effect; if I was going to quit, I was going to quit everything.”
According to the National Association of State Mental Health
Program Directors, people with mental illness die 25 years earlier on average
than the general population, largely due to conditions caused or worsened by
smoking.
“We know that tobacco use for residents of Utah suffering
from mental illness or substance abuse is much higher than for the general
population in Utah,” said Palmer DePaulis, Executive Director, Utah Department
of Human Services. “With these facilities going 100% tobacco-free and treating
tobacco use, substance abuse and mental health providers can save lives.”
Recovery Plus was created in response to an urgent need for
guidelines for creating a tobacco-free campus policy. Integrating tobacco
cessation with current treatment protocols will increase recovery rates and
life expectancy for individuals with substance abuse issues and/or mental
illnesses. It’s estimated that nearly
17,000 tobacco users will benefit from the cessation programs.
For more information, visit www.RecoveryPlus.Utah.Gov. For free help quitting tobacco, call the Utah
Tobacco Quit Line at 1.800.QUIT.NOW or visit www.UtahQuitNet.com.
Media Contact:
Amy Oliver
Media Coordinator
Tobacco Prevention and Control Program
(o) 801-538-6917 (c) 801-783-9067
