Fax Five
Fax Five is a special initiative of the New York State Department of Health to help 50,000 New York smokers to quit tobacco by June 2012. If 10,000 of the state’s physicians each referred just five smoking patients to the New York State Smokers’ Quitline, 50,000 people can be provided with the tools and support they need to successfully quit. This kind of assistance from a physician can double or triple a patient’s long-term abstinence from smoking.
The Quitline
The New York State Smokers’ Quitline is a free and confidential service that provides evidence-based services to New Yorkers who want to stop smoking. The Quitline offers:
- Telephone counseling in English and Spanish (translation also available for other languages).
- A two-week starter kit of FREE nicotine replacement medications for eligible smokers.
- Click to Quit! a 24/7 personal online quit coach at www.nysmokefree.com.
- Referrals to local stop smoking programs.
How Fax Five Works
Referring your patients to the Quitline is easy:
- Ask the patient about their tobacco use.
- Advise them to quit.
- Assess the patient’s willingness to quit. If they are ready to quit in the next 30 days, have them sign the Fax Referral Form.
- Fax the completed form to the New York State Smokers’ Quitline at 1-866-QUIT-FAX (1-866-784-8329). A professional cessation coach will provide the patient with free coaching, quitting materials and a two-week NRT starter kit.
- Follow-up with your patient when the Quitline faxes you a report on their progress.
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Click here to download the Fax Five form.
Click here for information on electronic referrals to the Quitline.
Click here to read a letter from New York State Health Commissioner Nirav Shah.
