Mayo Clinic Teams Up With 'Hollywood Quits' to Reduce Tobacco Use in Entertainment Industry

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The American Legacy Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) added a phone counseling component to their 'Hollywood Quits' program when they selected MMSI, a Mayo health company, to help provide tobacco intervention services to industry employees who want to quit. The entertainment industry employs nearly 250,000 people in Southern California.

'Hollywood Quits' is a comprehensive smoking cessation service launched by EIF and Legacy in early 2004 in the greater Los Angeles area. The program provides trained, professional counselors who work with smokers to identify their reasons and behavioral triggers for smoking. Counselors and program participants then develop an individual quit plan, based around the participant's tobacco use history, readiness to quit and social network support. Participants also will have access to nicotine replacement therapy.

Implemented March 1, 2005, the telephone counseling component greatly expands the number of people that can receive services. In addition to telephone counseling, MMSI will oversee the in-person services already available to offer entertainment industry employees a choice of options that support them in their efforts to quit smoking.

Long work hours, the fast pace of life and a demanding work environment contribute to high levels of stress for employees throughout the entertainment industry. The selection of the MMSI program was part of the industry's ongoing efforts to decrease smoking among employees.

"We selected the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center (NDC) and MMSI because of their expertise in tobacco cessation," says Lisa Paulsen, president and CEO of EIF. "With roughly one in three entertainment industry employees a regular tobacco user, we needed to find someone with the experience and capabilities to meet our diverse needs. As a leader in the treatment of nicotine addiction for the past 17 years, Mayo provides the combination of academic and operational expertise we were seeking."

"We are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with EIF and American Legacy to help entertainment industry employees overcome their nicotine dependence," says William Litchy, M.D., medical director for MMSI. "'Hollywood Quits' is a great step in the right direction to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use in the movie and television industry."

MMSI provides tobacco cessation services to 14 million people through state quitlines, corporations and health plans around the nation. Based in Rochester, Minn., MMSI receives clinical oversight, research outcomes and consultative support from the staff of Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center, a leader in tobacco cessation since 1988. Since it opened, the Nicotine Dependence Center has provided more than 30,000 people with tobacco intervention services. For more information about MMSI, visit www.MMSIservices.com. To learn more about the Mayo Clinic NDC, visit www.mayoclinic.org/ndc-rst.

Created in 1942, EIF is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting a variety of initiatives that address some of the most critical issues facing our society. As the leading charitable organization of the industry, EIF has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars and provided countless volunteer hours to support everything from arts education programs to some of the most advanced medical research in the world today. More information is available at www.eifoundation.org.

The American Legacy Foundation® is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in Washington, D.C., the foundation develops programs that address the health effects of tobacco use through grants, technical assistance and training, youth activism, strategic partnerships, counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns, public relations and outreach to populations disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco. The foundation's national programs include Circle of Friends®, Great Start®, a Priority Populations Initiative, Streetheory® and truth®. The American Legacy Foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement reached between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. Visit www.americanlegacy.org.

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To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. MayoClinic.com is available as a resource for your health stories.