Tobacco cessation programs for employees have shown increased health care savings, increased productivity, reduced absenteeism and reduced life insurance payouts. For employees who use tobacco, Suwannee River AHEC offers cessation programs to assist them in their quit process.  We also provide employee professional growth and continuing education for health care providers and support staff through programming related to tobacco dependence, assessment and treatment.
In addition, Suwannee River AHEC can also provide tobacco awareness activities for your company wellness program or create a program for you.

Quit Smoking Now for worksites from Suwannee River AHEC on Vimeo.

Employee Cessation

• Our six-week Quit Smoking Now group program can be provided onsite at your business so that employees and their families can attend during the workday or immediately following work. The program provides tobacco dependence counseling services and assists employer in provision of cessation materials and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products.

Facilitator Training for Company/Worksite Cessation Programs

• Designated wellness coordinators, company nurses or interested employees can be trained to deliver and facilitate our QSN program as part of a company or organization’s wellness program. To learn more about becoming a facilitator, read our Facilitator Training Frequently Asked Questions.

Community and Employee/Family Programs   

• Suwannee River AHEC Tobacco Cessation Specialists can participate onsite in your company’s wellness health fairs and events, or design and provide a complete wellness event for you.

Return on Investment (ROI)

• Employer self insured health plans may receive lower premiums as employee rates of tobacco use are decreased. Individual health and life insurance premiums paid by employees will be reduced when they are smoke-free for a prescribed number of months, according to insurance carrier specification.        
• Businesses considering adding tobacco cessation programming to their wellness programs may wish to review benefits of employee cessation programs at the American Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) to compute their ROI:
• Health insurance coverage for treatment of tobacco dependence generally increases both treatment and utilization rates and the rates of cessation.
  
  

Smoke Free Environments

• Florida Health Departments locally assist businesses, institutions and organizations with development and implementation of smoke free policies.
• The Office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides information on smoke free environments

Contact Sarah Catalanotto at 386-462-1551 ext 103 for more information.