The purpose of the “Bridge2Quit: Empowering Low-Income Smokers on the Path to Quitting” project is to increase awareness and access to stop smoking among patients receiving care in an FQHC setting. We propose to use patient portals to send patients who smoke messages encouraging quitting smoking and providing them with the option to be automatically linked to the New York Tobacco State Smokers’ Quitline (NYSSQL). The NYSSQL offers free telephone counseling, 2 weeks of nicotine replacement therapy (i.e., patches), and other services. In this project we will first examine the effectiveness of an educational campaign paired with patient navigation for increasing patient portal enrollment. Next, we will evaluate our linkage to care approach, which includes the following patient portal delivered components: (1) an electronically delivered message advising smoking cessation, (2) education materials providing information about the NYSSQL, and (3) an option to be contacted by an NYSSQL counselor (proactive linkage). Finally, we will examine rates of connection to the NYSSQL and changes in smoking behavior (quit or cut down). The intervention will take place in three FQHCs in our target census track areas, including Brooklyn (Bedford Stuyvesant Family Health Center), Queens (Joseph P. Addobbo Family Health Center), and the Bronx (Morris Heights Health Center). These communities experience a high burden of cardio-pulmonary health morbidity and mortality associated with tobacco use.

An estimated 16 million people in the US suffer from tobacco-related illnesses, resulting in 540,000 deaths annually. Despite the declining smoking prevalence about 11.5% of adults continue to smoke, equaling more than 34 million people. Low-income adults are disproportionately impacted by tobacco use, with 36% of individuals living below the federal poverty line currently smoking. Despite higher smoking rates, low-income smokers have less awareness of and access to cessation treatments and are less likely to participate in treatment. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), safety-net care settings for the most vulnerable populations, represent an important yet under-appreciated opportunity for reducing smoking-related health inequalities. In 2012, 21 million patients, the majority of whom were either uninsured (36%) or publicly insured (49%), received care at an FQHC. Research suggests that one in four adults who receive care from an FQHC is a current smoker.

Bridge2Quit

Empowering Low-Income Smokers on the Path to Quitting.