1015 Chestnut Street
Suite 610
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 215-955-7867
Designed by the Center for Tobacco Research and Treatment at Thomas Jefferson University, and based in part on the model used
by the Mayo Clinic, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital's Tobacco Intervention Program is a sophisticated, interdisciplinary,
therapeutic approach to smoking cessation. The Program is overseen by a team of health care professionals, including physicians
of various specialties, nurses and counselors.
Unlike rigid “self-help” and behavior modification programs, which are not of equal benefit to all patients, our program is
tailored to meet each patient's specific needs, utilizing individualized measures of medication, counseling and education,
as needed.
This flexible approach is administered with sympathy and encouragement, as opposed to rigid programs that foster guilt and,
ultimately, failure.
"Our program employs a comprehensive, therapeutic approach to treating nicotine addiction," says Frank T. Leone, MD, Director
of the Center for Tobacco Research and Treatment and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care
Medicine, Jefferson Medical College.
"Research shows that prescribing a nicotine patch or a non-nicotine medication and sending the patient home with reading materials
is not optimal in helping them stop smoking. Instead, our program combines the various modalities available at an academic
medical center to offer an individualized approach to helping a patient beat nicotine addiction and recognize the issues that
caused it."
According to Dr. Leone, research shows that the approach to smoking cessation that the Tobacco Intervention Program employs
has resulted in quit rates among smokers nationally as high as 55 percent. "In contrast, smokers who try quitting on their
own should only expect a five percent success rate," he said. "Even under a doctor's supervision, the problem is so difficult
that only about 25 percent of smokers will quit."
Jefferson's Tobacco Intervention Program offers:
- Personal sessions with physicians and other health professionals, including counselors and nurses
- Comprehensive evaluation of your smoking history, behavior and barriers to quitting
- Physiological testing such as carbon monoxide monitoring and lung- function evaluation
- Personalized, computer-generated treatment plans
- Multi-modal therapeutic interventions such as pharmacotherapy, behavioral modification, stress management and “alternative”
therapies
For more information on the Tobacco Intervention Program at Jefferson, please call 215-955-STOP.
