February 12, 2014
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A decision to quit smoking is one of the top resolutions people make each new year. For those who are struggling to keep that promise, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center offers smoking cessation clinics to help those trying to quit using tobacco products.
“We’ve made a commitment to our patients that we want to help them quit smoking,” said Dr. Martha Gulati, director of preventive cardiology and women’s cardiovascular health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “It’s the right thing to do. It’s not good enough to just tell people ‘You need to quit smoking.’ They need resources and one-on-one attention to help them quit.”
Located in the Ross Heart Hospital Ambulatory Care Clinic, the pharmacist-run, physician-supervised clinic provides consultation and support services to assist those who are thinking about or are ready to stop smoking. Patients will receive a complete nicotine dependence assessment, comprehensive counseling, a personalized medication approach, relapse prevention and thorough follow-up during their quit attempt. Visits may last 40 minutes initially, and patients are offered at least five 20-minute follow-up visits as well as ongoing communication with physicians via telephone or OSUMyChart.
Similar services are also offered at the tobacco dependency clinic in Ohio State’s Lung Center at the Martha Morehouse Medical Plaza. These clinics are offered in conjunction with the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine.
“Smoking is probably the number one reversible cause of heart disease, so that’s why we feel it’s so important to help people quit,” said Gulati, who is also physician director of the smoking cessation clinic at the Ross Heart Hospital.
In addition, recent studies have shown that heart disease and cancer are not the only health concerns smokers need to worry about. The U.S. Surgeon General now says smoking can also cause diabetes, vision loss, erectile dysfunction, ectopic pregnancies, tuberculosis, rheumatoid arthritis and impaired immune function.
To make an appointment at one of Ohio State’s smoking cessation clinics, call 614-293-5123.
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Contact: Alexis Shaw, Wexner Medical Center Public Affairs and Media Relations, 614-293-3737 or Alexis.Shaw2@osumc.edu