Collaborative service partnered with health systems across 10 counties to deliver evidence-based nicotine addiction treatment

North Country Nicotine Consultants (NCNC), a service provided collaboratively by The Heart Network and Glens Falls Hospital with support from NYS BTC’s Tobacco Control Program–Health Systems for a Tobacco Free NY, is marking five years of partnership with health systems across a 10-county region to increase the delivery of comprehensive, evidence-based treatment for nicotine addiction.

“Tobacco use is still the number one cause of preventable death in this country, and the North Country is not immune to that,” said Hanna Schneider, Tobacco Project Coordinator at The Heart Network. “What these five years have shown us is that when health systems commit to treating nicotine addiction as a clinical priority, patients respond.”

The tobacco industry continues to target vulnerable populations, including people living with disabilities, those experiencing mental illness, and young people. Nationally, tobacco use costs health care systems $9.7 billion annually.

Over the course of the grant cycle, NCNC partnered with health systems across the North Country to expand access to tobacco cessation services. Partnering organizations include Behavioral Health Services North (BHSN); ASCEND Mental Wellness; Glens Falls Hospital C.R. Wood Cancer Center; UVM Alice Hyde Medical Center; Nathan Littauer Hospital; UVM–Elizabethtown Community Hospital; Citizen Advocates; St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers; Essex County Mental Health; and SUNY Adirondack.

This year alone, 10 newly Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialists were trained across North Country health systems and added to the growing cessation network.

The results speak for themselves. For the first time, New York State’s adult smoking rate has fallen to 9.3%, well below the national rate of 12%. That milestone reflects the power of partnerships working together toward a shared goal.

The science is clear: a brief three- to five-minute conversation using the 5 A’s framework with patients who smoke more than doubles their chances of quitting successfully and staying quit. NCNC is committed to continuing this work with medical and behavioral health providers across the region to drive smoking rates even lower.

As the current grant cycle concludes, NCNC and its partners are looking ahead to new opportunities and continued progress.

Residents interested in more information about quitting tobacco should talk to their doctor and/or call the New York State Smokers’ Quitline at 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487).

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About North Country Nicotine Consultants

North Country Nicotine Consultants (NCNC) is a service provided collaboratively by The Heart Network and Glens Falls Hospital, with support from NYS BTC’s Tobacco Control Program–Health Systems for a Tobacco Free NY. NCNC works across a 10-county region to increase evidence-based tobacco cessation treatment within partnering health systems.

About the North Country Healthy Heart Network

The North Country Healthy Heart Network works to improve the health of communities across the region through programs addressing tobacco cessation, healthy eating, active living, and chronic disease prevention. Learn more at nchhn.org.