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My company isn't ready to implement a policy or program

If your company isn't ready to implement a smoking cessation program, there are still things you can do to help pregnant, and other, smokers quit. There are a number of community and national resources available to help smokers quit.

Resources for pregnant smokers include:

The National Partnership to Help Pregnant Smokers Quit web site includes tips on quitting, self-help materials that are available for download or purchase, and listings of resources. www.helppregnantsmokersquit.org.

The American Legacy Foundation's national telephone quit line for pregnant smokers, Great Start, can be reached at 866-66-START. The toll-free quitline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is managed by the American Cancer Society.

The booklet, Need Help Putting Out That Cigarette? produced by Smoke-Free Families, includes benefits of quitting for you and your baby, ways to prepare to quit, setting a quit date, how to handle "slips" and tips for after the baby is born. A single copy of the booklet is available without charge by emailing The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Resource Center at resources@acog.org. Please include your name, affiliation, and mailing address with your request. Packages of 10 booklets may be purchased from the ACOG Distribution Center (800-762-ACOG X882) or online at www.acog.org in the ACOG Bookstore and looking under Patient Education.

Also, several states have smoking cessation quit lines that include services just for pregnant women.

For smokers in general, these national organizations provide quitting guides, as well as links to local chapters:

American Lung Association
http://www.lungusa.org/tobacco/

American Cancer Society
http://www.cancer.org/

American Heart Association
www.americanheart.org

Other things you can do to help smokers quit include:

Provided self-help materials in prominent places throughout your worksite.

Create newsletter and/or web site articles that highlight the benefits of quitting and listing resources available to smokers; include specialized information for pregnant smokers, such as the resources listed above.

Talk to other industries/worksites about how they have implemented smoking policies in support of quitting.

Support legislation that helps people quit: e.g., increased excise taxes on cigarettes, use of Master Settlement Agreement dollars for tobacco programming, establishment of Medicaid and other insurance reimbursement for cessation services and medications, etc.