Cottonwood-Jackson-Redwood-Renville Community Health Services has been working with health care providers in Cottonwood, Jackson, Redwood and Renville counties to develop resources and increase access to high quality nutritious foods, opportunities for physical activity, and tobacco cessation programs. The project is part of a larger effort by Cottonwood-Jackson-Redwood-Renville Community Health Services which is funded by the Minnesota Department of Health Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) grant.
In 2010, 19 counties in southwest and south central Minnesota including Renville and Redwood counties conducted an adult health survey to learn about health and health habits, including tobacco use. The survey was conducted in the spring of 2010 as part of the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) that aims to help Minnesotan’s live longer, healthier lives by reducing the burden of chronic disease.
The survey indicated that 18% of Renville county residents are current smokers, and 32% are former smokers. Of these current and former smokers, slightly less than half said they had tried to quit within the past 12 months. The survey indicated that 13% of Redwood county residents are current smokers, and 28% are former smokers. Of these current and former smokers, more than 6 out of 10 said that they had tried to quit in the last 12 months. In addition, an assessment of area health providers revealed 44% of them indicated that about a quarter to half of their patients was smokers and that there is no systematic way that patients are being referred to tobacco cessation services.
With the help of SHIP, the Tobacco Fax Referral System, which is a collaboration among seven of Minnesota’s major health plans to connect patients to appropriate tobacco cessation services was implemented in January 2011 at Redwood and Renville County Public Health Services, RC Hospital & Clinics and ACMC. The system enables health care providers to use a single form and fax number to refer patients who wish to stop using tobacco to cessation support. A consent form is signed and the clinic faxes the information to a centralized number. A trained “quit” coach will then contact the tobacco user. The consent form does not authorize release to any other parties. The consent from complies with all HIPAA regulations.
All Minnesota residents, whether or not they are covered by a health plan, have access to the Tobacco Fax Referral System by visiting with their physician at RC Hospital & Clinics, ACMC or stopping by the public health offices in Redwood Falls or Olivia.
Jill Bruns, Renville County Public Health Director, recently stated “We know how important it is for all of us to ask our clients and family members about tobacco use. Now we have a simple and effective system to refer them to. This will increase the odds of quitting.”
According to a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota study, “Healthcare Costs and Smoking in Minnesota,” smoking was responsible for $2.87 billion in excess medical expenditures in 2007 in Minnesota. In this same study, smoking also claims the lives of 5,135 Minnesotan’s each year and is the number one preventable cause of death in the US.
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