Tobacco & Vaping
Respiratory Health Association is committed to achieving a tobacco-free future for all.
RHA works year-round to help people quit smoking and to eliminate tobacco-related health disparities in which certain groups use tobacco at higher rates than the general population. We achieve this through a combination of policy change, education and cessation. We focus on preventing tobacco initiation, eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke, and increasing access to smoking cessation resources.
Tobacco use, primarily cigarette smoking, remains the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States. It is a major contributor to deaths from cancer, heart disease, and lung diseases among others. Smoking and secondhand smoke exposure are leading triggers for asthma episodes and COPD flare-ups, and is a leading cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), emphysema, bronchitis, pneumonia, influenza, headaches, eye irritation and many other diseases and conditions.
RHA is a recognized expert in helping a wide variety of stakeholders reduce tobacco use. We help:
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- State and local health departments to develop, advocate for and implement evidence-based tobacco prevention strategies and monitor ongoing trends in tobacco use
- Property managers, owners, public housing authorities and residents to provide the tools they need to make their multi-unit housing smoke-free
- Health systems, community-based organizations and social service providers to train staff members in Courage to Quit, RHA’s evidence-based adult smoking cessation program
- Health systems and service providers to adopt smoke-free campuses and implement Counsel to Quit, the evidence-based clinical intervention for tobacco use screening and treatment referral
Among our programs is:
Counsel to Quit®
In just 3 minutes, a health care provider can influence a smoker’s quit success. Your advice matters!
Counsel to Quit® is Respiratory Health Association’s 60- or 90-minute training program designed to help health care professionals advise their patients to quit smoking. Research shows that just 3-10 minutes of counseling from a health care provider can increase the likelihood of an individual’s success in quitting smoking by 60%.
RHA’s Counsel to Quit® trainings provide health care professionals with an evidence-based brief clinical intervention for smoking cessation. Training participants receive information and skills to appropriately screen patients for tobacco use, strategies to advise cessation, and opportunities to connect to local cessation referral options.
Training participants learn to:
- Explain their clinical role in tobacco dependence treatment
- Describe and deliver brief interventions to assist tobacco users in quitting according to the Ask, Advise, Refer model
- Refer patients to local cessation resources and the Illinois Tobacco Quitline
- List effective tobacco cessation medications
Courage to Quit® Adult Smoking Cessation Program
If quitting smoking is your goal, RHA’s Courage to Quit® program can help you get there. Courage to Quit® is a stop smoking program that may be available to you one-on-one or as part of a group. Each session provides information, support, and opportunities to practice skills to help you reach your smoke-free goal.
Research shows that on average it can take over six attempts before a smoker successfully quits for good. Trained and certified Courage to Quit® leaders work collaboratively with the individual to build on past attempts, create confidence, and develop their skills and readiness. After completing the program, participants report higher-than-average cigarette use reduction, quit attempt, and quit rates.
Courage to Quit® is based on the work of Dr. Andrea King, a faculty member at the University of Chicago and licensed psychologist with a research background in tobacco and other addictions. The program’s effectiveness has been documented in the American Journal of Public Health.
Our trained and certified Courage to Quit® program leaders are committed to helping you achieve your smoke-free goal. They come from different backgrounds, including nursing, social work, and community organizations. Leaders are not current smokers.
Current programs:
Blue Door Neighborhood Center offers Courage to Quit the 1st Friday of every month from 10:45am-11:30am. The class is offered virtually and in-person. Individuals can register by visiting their website.
University of Chicago Medicine offers virtual Courage to Quit groups daily on zoom. Call 773-702-3858 opt. 1 to register as a UCM patient, schedule a virtual orientation, and enroll in the group.
Riverside Cardiopulmonary Rehab offers Courage to Quit starting at 100 Riverside Drive, Bourbonnais, IL 60914. Cost is $30. Register at 815-935-3271 or on their website.
Egyptian Health Department offers virtual Courage to Quit every Wednesday from 2:30pm-3:30pm. Individuals can register by contacting Kimberly E. Scott-Pilkington at 618-273-3326 ext 2216.
There are two versions of the program: the Full Program is six sessions, with the quit day scheduled for the third session. The Short Program is three sessions, with the quit day scheduled for the second session. Every Courage to Quit® program begins with an orientation so you can decide if this is the right program for you.
Courage to Quit® sessions help you make a personal quit smoking plan, identify your triggers to smoke, and gain new skills to deal with those triggers. You will learn about quit smoking medication options and strategies to prevent relapse. Courage to Quit® works to build your confidence to start your new tobacco-free life.
E-Cigarettes and Vaping
When it comes to electronic cigarettes, separating fact from fiction can be a challenge. Know the truth about vaping and how it can affect your health.
LGBTQ+ Tobacco Use and Lung Health
Unfortunately, tobacco use among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults is known to be significantly higher compared to the general population.
According to the CDC, 19.2% of LGB people are smokers compared to 13.8% of straight people. Transgender people have also reported higher rates of smoking in some studies. Tobacco use, primarily cigarette smoking, is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States. It is a major contributor to deaths from cancer, heart disease, and lung diseases.
A history of targeted marketing from tobacco companies – particularly with flavored products like menthol – has contributed greatly to increased tobacco use among these communities.
Smoke-Free Spaces & Places
As stated by the U.S. Surgeon General, there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke refers to the smoke that come off the burning end of a cigarette or is exhaled by a smoker. Secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, hundreds of which are toxic and at least 70 of which cause cancer, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.
Eliminating secondhand smoke from public places, workplaces, and homes has been one of the most important public health achievements of the last century. In addition to protecting against exposure to secondhand smoke, smoke-free policies are also one of the most effective means of reducing tobacco use.
Seeing tobacco products used in public spaces can also re-normalize smoking behaviors among youth. For these reasons, RHA works to increase the availability of smoke-free outdoor places and spaces, including parks, beaches, playgrounds, and plazas.
More than 50 communities in Illinois have adopted smoke-free park, playground, and beach laws, including the Chicago Park District, one of the largest municipal park systems in the country.
RHA works with park districts, park boards and youth groups to educate policymakers on the benefits of smoke-free outdoor spaces and works directly with park districts to assist with policy adoption, implementation, and enforcement.
Smoke-Free Campuses
The places where we work, learn, or get healthy should enable good health, but often times large campuses for higher education, businesses, hospitals, and behavioral health providers are not covered by a smoke-free policy. Secondhand smoke is harmful indoors or out and outdoor tobacco use can re-normalize smoking behaviors. This can negatively influence children to consider smoking or frustrate the efforts of those trying to quit smoking.
Smoke-Free Worksites
Smoke-free worksites support employees and clients in achieving their health goals. This can lead to health improvements for the individual employee, and cost savings and greater productivity for the business as a whole.
RHA has worked with businesses, health providers, and institutions of higher education across the state to implement comprehensive smoke-free campus policies, supplemented with linkages to cessation resources.
Smoke-Free Housing
Everyone should be able to breathe clean, safe air in their homes. Unfortunately, many people are exposed to secondhand smoke in their home. This is especially true if you live in multi-unit housing, such as apartments, condos, townhomes, public housing, and retirement housing.
Living in a building where smoking indoors is allowed increases the risk of heart attacks, stroke, lung cancer and early death. Babies who breathe secondhand smoke are more likely to die from SIDS (crib death), and children who are exposed to secondhand smoke have an increased risk of asthma attacks and infections caused by tobacco smoke, including bronchitis, pneumonia and ear infections.
Going smoke-free doesn’t mean that you prohibit smokers from living in your building; it simply means that smoking is not permitted in any indoor units or common areas. Implementing a smoke-free policy is an important way to encourage healthy living and ensure a safer living environment for your residents.
The market for smoke-free housing is growing. Renters are becoming increasingly aware of the dangerous health effects of smoking and secondhand smoke. Health-conscious and eco-friendly renters want to live in smoke-free buildings. A Respiratory Health Association poll of Chicago renters found that 44 percent were willing to pay more to live in a smoke-free environment.
Our Smoke-free Housing Toolkit is a step-by-step guide to establishing protections where you live. Visit the Smoke-Free section of our Library for additional smoke-free housing resources.
Continuing Education
Respiratory Care Practitioners – Continuing Education Hours
Respiratory Health Association is an approved continuing education sponsor recognized by the State of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. 1.0 continuing education hour of credit will be awarded upon completion of the training.
Nurses – Contact Hours
This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by the Ohio Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. (OBN-001-91). 1.0 continuing education hour of credit will be awarded upon completion of the training.
IAODAPCA – Continuing Education Hours
This continuing education program has been reviewed and approved by the Illinois Certification Board. 1.0 continuing education unit will be awarded upon completion of the training to the following categories: Counselor I or II, Preventionist I or II, CARS I or II, CODP I or II, PCGC II, CCJP II, CAAP I, CRSS II, CVSS II, CPRS I or II, MAATP I or II, CFPP II, NCRS II.