Quitting tobacco is the best thing you can do for your health.
UPMC’s Tobacco Treatment Service is free to our patients. We’ve been helping thousands of people quit smoking and using tobacco since 2012.
Our certified tobacco treatment specialists will work with you to create the best plan to quit.
We’ll help you:
- Set goals for how and when to quit.
- Handle cravings and tobacco withdrawal.
- Get the right tobacco treatment drugs from your health care team.
- Connect to resources near you.
Inpatient Tobacco Treatment
The UPMC Tobacco Treatment Service is part of your care team at UPMC Presbyterian, UPMC Montefiore, and UPMC Western Psychiatric hospitals.
If you use tobacco or have recently quit smoking, you can have a bedside session with a tobacco treatment expert. You or your care team may either request a session, or one of our tobacco treatment specialists may visit you at bedside.
During the session, we’ll:
- Talk with you about avoiding the use of tobacco while you’re in the hospital.
- Help you make a plan after you go home.
Outpatient Telehealth Tobacco Treatment Service
We also offer outpatient telehealth care. This means your visit with us for tobacco treatment will be by either live streaming video or phone.
Elective Surgeries
If you’re a smoker or tobacco user, your surgeon may refer you to the outpatient telehealth service.
Quitting tobacco before surgery can lower your chance of complications, such as:
- Wound infections
- Longer healing times
- Heart problems
- Breathing problems and pneumonia
- Blood clots in your legs or lungs
We’ll work with you and your care team to support you in quitting tobacco use before your planned surgery.
To make sure that you’re tobacco-free before surgery, you’ll need to take a carbon monoxide test during pre-op testing. We’ll test either your breath, blood, or urine.
Cancer Treatment
If you’re receiving treatment at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, you have access to “Now’s the Time – Quit for Life Tobacco Treatment Program.” Your cancer care team will refer you to one of our tobacco treatment specialists.
People with cancer who quit smoking and using tobacco have:
- Better response to cancer treatment
- Less toxicity
- Less complications from surgery
- Less side effects
- Less likely to have your cancer come back or form a new cancer
- Better quality of life
We’ll work with you and your care team to support your goal to quit during and after your cancer treatment.
Contact the UPMC Tobacco Treatment Service
To contact:
About the Tobacco Treatment Service
- Esa Davis, MD, associate professor of Medicine, and Antoine Douaihy, MD, professor of Psychiatry and Medicine, lead the service.
- UPMC’s Chief Medical and Scientific Office, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Hillman Cancer Center provide funding.
More Quitting Resources
- UPMC Health Coaches: UPMC Health Plan members can sign up for free health coaching by phone. To contact a health coach about quitting smoking or tobacco use, call 1-866-778-6073(TTY 711). Or log in to MyHealth OnLine to chat with a coach.
- Pennsylvania Free Quitline: The PA Free Quitline service is safe, secure, and easy-to-use.
It offers:
- Up to five coaching sessions by phone.
- Limitless calls to the PA Free Quitline as needed.
- Education on quitting tobacco use.
- Free Nicotine Replacement Therapy for qualified callers.
- Call 1-800-784-8669 (QUIT-NOW) or visit https://pa.quitlogix.org/en-US/.
- Smokefree.gov: Find support, tips, tools, and expert advice to help you or someone you love quit smoking.
- UPMC Health Library: Learn how smoking and tobacco use impacts your health and how to quit at the UPMC Health Library.
