In October 2003, Clubhouse of Suffolk, Inc. – one of the three not-for-profit organizations that now comprise the Association for Mental Health and Wellness – was awarded a grant from the New York State Department of Health’s Tobacco Dependence Program to address the special needs of smokers with mental illness.
A pilot study was launched, which included staff development/training, individual and group psycho-educational treatment, and coordination of pharmacological treatment. It resulted The result: there was a significant impact on the readiness of participants to quit smoking, the number of cigarettes smoked per day, and he number of attempts to quit made by the program participants.
This video, “Smoke Alarm: The Truth about Smoking and Mental Illness,” was developed as a tool to use with staff and consumers to generated discussion and increase awareness about tobacco dependence in this population. The video features participants and staff from the pilot program discussing their real-life experiences with smoking addiction and their attempts to quit.
To date, the video has been viewed in over 1,000 agencies and conferences in five countries.
For more information about the video, or training and services available, please contact Tara Larkin-Fredericks at tfredericks@mhaw.org.
