Tobacco Cessation Toolkit for Behavioral Health Providers

This toolkit was developed for a broad continuum of mental health (MH) and substance use treatment professionals providing care for individuals who use tobacco products. According to the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Commission, individuals living with a serious mental illness (SMI) have a high smoking prevalence, low quit rates, and may not have tobacco treatment considered a priority within the Behavioral Health setting.

These materials are intended for psychiatric nurse practitioners, physician assistants (PAs), case managers, therapists, and psychiatrists; however, some materials may also be appropriate for primary care and other health care providers who focus on substance use disorders (SUDs), MH conditions, and overall health and wellness. 

Factors Impacting Health Equity Among Behavioral Health Patients Who Use Tobacco

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), health equity is the opportunity for everyone to reach their full health potential, regardless of any socially determined circumstance. Health equity can be achieved in tobacco cessation and sustained by eliminating the differences in education and encouraging your patients’ success.

We understand the following factors can disproportionally affect people living with mental illnesses:

• Poverty
• Housing issues
• Insufficient social support
• Discrimination
• Poor quality of schools attended
• Difficulty in accessing care
• Lack of transportation

Consider referring your patients to CareSource Life Services program to address Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) issues at 1-844-607-2832 or email LifeServicesIndiana@CareSource.com.

Provider Resources

For additional resources and tools to help educate and encourage members with tobacco cessation, please Navigate access the CareSource Tobacco Cessation Toolkit for BH Providers.

Here are some additional resources for our providers:

• Best Practices User Guides-Cessation in Tobacco Prevention and Control (cdc.gov)
• Motivational Interviewing: Motivational Interviewing (MI) Motivational Interviewing is a useful tool to help your patients think about quitting.
• The Brief Tobacco Intervention: The 2 As & R (Ask, Advise & Refer) and The 5 As (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange): Brief Tobacco Intervention Guideposts CareSource believes at every visit, patients should be assessed for tobacco use.
• Unwillingness to Quit: The 5 Rs: The 5 Rs: For Use With Patients Who Use Tobacco But Are Unwilling to Quit at This Time.
• Guide to Quitting Smoking: American Cancer Society—Guide to Quitting Smoking
• The Benefits of Quitting: American Heart Association
• Quick Reference Guide Cessation Toolkit: American Lung Association- Quick Reference Guide
• Best Practices User Guide: Health Equity in Tobacco Prevention and Control: This user guide focuses on how comprehensive tobacco control programs can work to achieve health equity in tobacco prevention and control.
• Smoking Cessation: Fast Facts: A tip sheet on smoking cessation behaviors, helpful treatment options and statistics.
• Helping Teens Quit
• The Indiana Quit Now program has FREE materials for providers to display at their location:
  • Link to enroll as a Preferred Provider: Preferred Provider Enrollment Form
  • Link to order Quitline materials: Education Materials Order Form
  • Link for the online/fax referral form: Referral Form
• Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP): HIP Tobacco Cessation 2019

Medication Treatment Options

Prescription cessation aids are covered by the Medicaid and Marketplace programs. Providers are encouraged to refer patients ages 18 and over to the Indiana Tobacco Quitline, 1-800-QUIT-NOW. Services offered by the Quitline are confidential and provided free of charge to Indiana residents. 

There are several effective medications for tobacco dependence treatment. CareSource providers should promote their use by all patients attempting to quit using tobacco products, except when medically contraindicated.

For more information on medication assisted treatment for tobacco use, view the Marketplace Drug Formulary.