Title
The integration of tobacco dependence treatment and tobacco-free standards into residential addictions treatment in New Jersey
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Psychiatry
Date
6-1-2005
Document Type
Article
Medical Subject Headings
Adult; Delivery of Health Care, Integrated; Female; Humans; Male; New Jersey; Residential Treatment; Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; Tobacco Use Disorder
Disciplines
Psychiatry
Abstract
New Jersey was the first state to implement a licensure standard for all residential addiction treatment programs to assess and treat tobacco dependence in the context of entirely tobacco-free facilities (including grounds). A program evaluation of the first year of the policy (2001-2002) assessed the impact on programs, clients, and staff. At 1-year follow-up, all 30 residential programs surveyed provided some tobacco dependence treatment and 50% had tobacco-free grounds. Eighty-five percent of the programs accepted the state's offer to provide free NRT, reaching more than 2,326 clients. Seventy-seven percent of all clients were smokers, and 65% of the smokers reported they wanted to stop or cut down tobacco use. Forty-one percent of the smokers reported that they did not use any tobacco during their entire residential stay. There was no increase in irregular discharges, or reduction in proportion of smokers among those entering residential treatment, compared with prior years. Licensure standards regulation can be an effective mechanism for increasing the quantity and quality of tobacco dependence treatment in residential addictions programs.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: J Subst Abuse Treat. 2005 Jun;28(4):331-40. Link to article on publisher's site
