Making the decision to stop smoking, vaping or using any form of nicotine is one of the best steps you can take for your health. It isn’t easy, but the benefits are numerous.
Lancaster General Health is working to reduce nicotine use in Lancaster County. We can help you understand your addiction and create a personalized plan to help you as you start your journey to quit nicotine.
LG Health Programs for Quitting Nicotine
Adult Telephonic & Virtual Coaching: Free quit nicotine appointments with a tobacco treatment counselor focus on developing a personalized plan. Call 717-544-3278 to register or discuss other options to meet your quitting needs.
Teen Virtual Coaching: Free 30-minute quit nicotine sessions tailored to the needs of teens and the struggles they face. Virtual sessions are available with a nicotine treatment specialist. No referral is necessary
Virtual Group Classes: Free quit nicotine resources and support in a virtual setting.
Young Lungs at Play: This statewide program, supported by LG Health in Lancaster County, strives to support municipalities and schools by offering tools and resources to create and adopt outdoor nicotine-free policies at parks, athletic fields, playgrounds and trails.
Call 717-544-3278 to register or discuss other options to meet your quitting needs.
Free nicotine replacement therapy (patch, lozenge or gum) is available to coaching and class participants, as grant funding allows.
LG Health Quitting Nicotine Programs for Schools
LifeSkills Training Program: To help address the issues surrounding substance abuse in Lancaster County, Lancaster General Health educators have been working closely with schools since 2002 to promote The Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST) Program.
Funded by Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, LST is a substance abuse prevention program proven to reduce the risks of alcohol, tobacco, drug abuse, and violence by targeting the major social and psychological factors that promote the initiation of substance use and other risky behaviors. Rather than teaching information about the dangers of drug abuse, LST promotes healthy alternatives to risky behavior through activities designed to:
- Teach students the necessary skills to resist social (peer) pressures to smoke, drink, and use drugs
- Help students to develop greater self-esteem and self-confidence
- Enable students to effectively cope with anxiety
- Increase their knowledge of the immediate consequences of substance abuse
- Enhance cognitive and behavioral competency to reduce and prevent a variety of health risk behaviors
Schools with the program see a decrease in physical aggression, verbal aggression, fighting and delinquency.
In 2002, Warwick School district in Lititz, PA was the first district in Lancaster County to adopt the LST curriculum. Over the course of three years, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital Health educators implemented the program in classrooms and "train the trainer" programs for teachers. Throughout the last several years, additional school districts and independent schools adopted the LST curriculum in selected grade levels.
More recently, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health educators have been working closely with E-Town Communities that Care and the Elizabethtown School District to implement the LST curriculum in grades three through eight. Columbia Borough School District has elected to adopt the program district-wide, implementing the curriculum into grades three through nine.
INDEPTH (Intervention for Nicotine Dependence: Education, Prevention, Tobacco and Health®): American Lung Association’s program offered as an alternative to suspension/citation to participating schools for students who violate school nicotine policies. Facilitated as an individual or group program, consisting of four, 50-minute sessions. Sessions focus on nicotine use, nicotine addiction, healthy alternatives and making positive changes.
N-O-T (Not-On-Tobacco®): American Lung Association’s free program consisting of ten, 50-minute sessions. Facilitated in a small group format and offered through schools as a nicotine cessation program for teens who are interested in quitting nicotine. The program addresses total health, to develop and maintain positive behavior change.
Only authorized representatives of a school may request these programs. Please call 717-544-3278 for more details.
Adult Resources
While quitting tobacco can be difficult, you can increase your chance of success with help. Please visit our resources for free, evidence-based information and support:
- PA Quit Line – When you call, a trained quitting coach will help you get started on the path to becoming smoke-free. Self-help materials and access to FREE Nicotine Replacement Therapy will be available as grant funding allows.
- Smokefree.gov – Support, tips, tools, and expert advice to quit smoking.
- Become An Ex – Smoking cessation program developed with help from Mayo Clinic
- This is Quitting – Text DITCHJUUL to 88709 for a text to quit program for teens to quit vaping. Parents of vapers can text QUIT to 1-202-899-7550.
Teen Resources
Smokefree Teen: A free web-based program designed and run by the National Cancer Institute to help you understand the decisions you make—especially the decision to quit smoking and how those decisions fit into your life. Visit smokefree.gov to learn more or sign up.
Smokefree TXT: A free mobile text messaging program that provides 24/7 tips, advice, and encouragement to help you quit smoking. To sign up for Smokefree TXT simply text QUIT to IQUIT (4748). This program is designed and run by the National Cancer Institute.
1-800-QUIT-NOW: A free quitline that offers one-on-one immediate support. Staffed by quit smoking coaches who can provide you with helpful information, advice and support through your quit plan. To sign up call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).
QuitSTART App: A free app made for teens who want to quit smoking. This app takes your provided smoking history and gives you tailored tips, inspiration, and challenges. Available on iTunes and Android. Designed and run by the National Cancer Institute. For more information visit teen.smokefree.gov.
My Life, My Quit: A free comprehensive cessation program, through National Jewish Health, that offers help with quitting vaping or other tobacco products along with providing educational resources. Assistance can be provided through text, phone call, or online at MyLifeMyQuit.com. Text “Start My Quit” to 855-891-9989 or call to talk with a coach today.