Contents
- Chronic Disease/Injury Prevention and Built Environment
- Healthy Eating and Food Security
- Injury Prevention
- Physical Activity
- Healthy Environments
- Tobacco Control Program
Ministry of Health
Helping People Quit Smoking
British Columbia provides support to people who are trying to quit smoking or tobacco use.
These include:
- Free support for quitting by phone or online (QuitNow Services)
- Access to prescription drugs and nicotine replacement therapies (BC Smoking Cessation Program)
QuitNow Services
Support for British Columbians who want to quit smoking or tobacco use is provided 24 hours a day free-of-charge through QuitNow Services. You may also wish to talk with your doctor, counsellor, pharmacist, dentist or another health professional to select the best option or combination of options for you.
These services are funded by the Ministry of Health and delivered by the BC Lung Association:
- QuitNow By Phone is a confidential, quit smoking support service available to British Columbians. Call Toll-Free to 1-877-455-2233 and speak to a professional quit specialist who will guide and support you through your quitting process. Translation services are available.
- QuitNow Online is an online community of people who are trying to quit, stay quit or help others to quit. Register for FREE to access peer support, encouragement and advice to improve your chances of quitting. Registrants can post questions in the “expert forum,” sign up for email support, or interact in real-time with expert quit counsellors.
- QuitNow Healthcare Provider section offers BC healthcare providers the tools and resources necessary to effectively and time-efficiently help your tobacco-using patients/clients quit smoking. You can refer your patients/clients to QuitNow Services through our Fax Referral Program and access FREE quitting resources and materials.
Note: Community members including schools are encouraged to contact their Health Authority Tobacco Reduction Coordinator for resources to help implement tobacco prevention and cessation programs.
Access to prescription drugs and nicotine replacement therapies
The B.C. Smoking Cessation Program helps people stop smoking or using other tobacco products by assisting them with the cost of smoking cessation aids. The program covers selected prescription smoking cessation drugs as benefits under PharmaCare. Selected non-prescription nicotine replacement therapy products (NRTs) are provided at no cost. The program is open to British Columbia residents who wish to stop smoking or using other tobacco products.
To learn more about the program and how you can take part, visit the B.C. Smoking Cessation Program web page on the PharmaCare website.
Detailed program information for patients includes:
- how the program works
- what prescription drugs and nicotine gum and patches are covered
- how much coverage you can get in a year
- how to get started (including what information you will need to provide)
- how to get refills
Other resources:
- Quitters Unite! is an online community for young adults aged 19 to 29. The service is currently delivered by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC & Yukon, in partnership with the BC Lung Association with funding from Health Canada.
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