Tobacco Cessation Summit set in Indianapolis

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — With the ultimate goal of helping people end their dependence on tobacco, a summit targeting mental health professionals is scheduled for Aug. 25 in Indianapolis, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Mental Health Tobacco Cessation Summit will occur at the Ivy Tech Corporate and Culinary Center, 2820 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis. It will feature Jill M. Williams, professor of psychiatry and chief of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry at the Rutgers University Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; and Tony Klein, manager of chemical dependency services at Rochester (N.Y.) Regional Health.

"This statewide effort aims to bring together the mental health organizations and practitioners who witness the devastating effects of tobacco use every day," said Karen Hudmon, Purdue University professor of pharmacy practice, and one of the event organizers. "Because the prevalence of smoking is exceedingly high in this population, our goal is to assist professionals in delivering evidence-based tobacco recovery services to clients with mental illness or substance disorders."

The event's objectives are to:

* Teach effective assessment and intervention strategies to address tobacco use in the mental health and addiction treatment settings.

* Help participants understand how tobacco dependence is a chronic disease.

* Introduce methods to enhance motivation to quit and promote behavior change among tobacco-dependent clients.

The American Lung Association, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the Indiana State Department of Health, and Purdue University are co-sponsoring the summit.

Attendance is free, but registration is required, at http://action.lung.org/site/Calendar?id=113768&view=Detail 

Source: Karen Hudmon, khudmon@purdue.edu