ADVERTISEMENT
Nearly half of treatment centers offer smoking cessation services
The percentage of substance use treatment facilities using counseling or medication to help their patients quit smoking is steadily climbing, according to a report released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
In 2012, 46% of treatment facilities offered smoking cessation services, compared with 42% of facilities in 2011. The data for the SAMHSA report were derived from SAMHSA's 2012 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS).
In the group of centers offering smoking cessation services, 39% offered counseling, 22% used nicotine replacement medications, and 16% employed non-nicotine medications.
“While it is encouraging that more treatment programs are providing help for their clients to kick the tobacco habit, this report indicates that much more needs to be done to address this public health problem,” SAMHSA administrator Pamela S. Hyde said in a June 17 news release from the federal agency.
