Pennsylvania
Quitline Profile
United States
Quitline: Pennsylvania Free Quitline
Began Operations: June 2002
Website: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/smoke_free/14315/quitting_tobacco_resources/557546
Standard Hours of Operation
Monday:
08:00 AM - 01:00 AM
Tuesday:
08:00 AM - 01:00 AM
Wednesday:
08:00 AM - 01:00 AM
Thursday:
08:00 AM - 01:00 AM
Friday:
08:00 AM - 01:00 AM
Saturday:
08:00 AM - 01:00 AM
Sunday:
08:00 AM - 01:00 AM
Closed on:
Thanksgiving and Christmas
Telephone Numbers
Line
Phone Number
Language/Subject
1
(800) QUIT-NOW
English/Spanish
2
(877) 777-6534
Deaf/Hard of hearing
Supported Languages
Counseling offered in: English, Spanish
Third-party counseling: Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, French, Russian, and interpretive services with translation in over 170 languages
Deaf/Hard of hearing: TTY relay CA Communication Assistant
Phone Counseling
Types:
brief intervention
single-session
multi-session (client-initiated)
multi-session (counselor-initiated)
Length of standard first session: 15 min
Length of standard follow-up session: 20 min
Counseling session topics:
tobacco history
developing a quit plan
setting a quit date
withdrawal symptoms
relapse prevention
weight gain
use of cessation medication
stress management
other
Web-Based Services
quitline information
cessation information
self-help tools
automated e-mail messages
interactive counseling
chat rooms
Cessation Medications
Free Medications
patch
gum
lozenge
nasal spray
inhaler
varenicline
bupropion
Discounted Medications
patch
gum
lozenge
nasal spray
inhaler
varenicline
bupropion
Distribution Methods
voucher
by mail
Other Services
voicemail with callbacks
recorded self-help messages
referral to other health services
mailed info or self-help resources
To receive counseling:
Readiness; Age (14 years and older); Resident of Pennsylvania
To receive medication:
Age (18 years and older); complete medical screening questions
Specialized Materials
youth, under 18
youth, 18-25
older tobacco users, 55+
smokeless tobacco users
pregnant tobacco users
multiple addictions
racial/ethnic populations
lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender
chronic health conditions
low socioeconomic status or Medicaid
low literacy
other
mental health disorders including psychiatric conditions
Fax or electronic referral program:  Yes
Person(s) eligible to refer patients:
certified or trained fax referral providers
clinicians or non-clinicians in a healthcare setting
clinicians or non-clinicians in a community-based organization
other
Available referral methods:
faxed form
e-mail or online
EMR with electronic submission
Tobacco users can be referred if they:
are thinking about quiting
indiciate a readiness to quit within 30 days
are ready to make a quit attempt
are quit and seek help to stay quit
Referred patients contacted within:  Within 48 hours
Other services available to referring providers:
quitline and/or referral brochures
customized referral/consent forms
patient progress reports
customized provider feedback reports
staff training
quitline/referral program newsletter
Referral program contact:
Jay Mast
Pennsylvania Department of Health
(717) 783-6600
jmast@pa.gov
Additional information:
Smoke-Free Laws
Workplaces: Yes
Bars: No
Restaurants No
Tobacco Tax Rates
Current cigarette tax rate: $1.60
Effective date: November 1, 2009
Amount of last increase: $0.25
Callers (Source: NAQC Annual Survey - 2011)
Number of direct calls to the quitline: 40,728
Number of tobacco users receiving services: 17,609
Number of tobacco users registering for Web-based services: 9,881
Number of tobacco users referred to the quitline: 1,445
Calculations (Source: NAQC Annual Survey - 2011)
Amount per smoker spent on services and medications: $1.27
Amount per smoker spent on media and promotions: $0.11
Promotional reach: 0.95 %
Treatment reach: 0.97 %
NAQC standard quit rate: 26.00 %
NOTE: Additional quitline data is available online at www.naquitline.org/data/
Context for quitline metrics:
On the Metric table, PA’s quit rate should be reported as 26% if we are being ranked among states that do not provide NRT (26% is the rate among only those who did not receive NRT).  PA did have a time limited NRT initiative in FY2011, and the quit rate for those who received NRT was 30%.  Overall, among both the NRT and non-NRT groups, PA’s overall quit rate was 28%.  Time period for quit rate data collection: Includes tobacco users who were registered for services during the NRT promotion period of January 24, 2010 to March 9, 2010. Evaluation surveys were conducted between September 2010 and November 2010. Quit rate 95% confidence interval: 26.0-34.0%. Consent obtained for follow-up. Consent was asked of all those 18 or over who completed intake, were tobacco users, agreed to set a quit date, completed at least one counseling session and a medical screening were shipped a 4-week supply of free NRT patches. Consent rate 98%. Average time to follow-up: 194 days. Response rate at follow-up: 40.0%.
Funder of quitline services: Pennsylvania Department of Health
Operator of counseling services: National Jewish Health
Funding source(s): MSA funds, CDC funds
Profile last updated on January 14, 2013
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