Health & Fitness
New Resource: How to Address Tobacco in Mental Health Services
Minnesota Health Orgs Release Resource on How to Address Tobacco Use in Mental Health Services
Today, the American Lung Association in Minnesota, in partnership with several Minnesota health organizations, released a new resource designed by and for agencies and systems serving people with mental illness and substance use disorders to treat tobacco use.
The guide, titled “How to Address Tobacco Use in Minnesota’s Mental health and Substance Use Disorder Services: Tips from the Field,” is meant to be a practical resource to help organizations address tobacco use for the people they serve. The guide, developed by the Leadership Academy Collaborative, was authored by leaders from People Incorporated, CentraCare Health, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Mental Health Resources, Hennepin County Public health, Lee Carlson Center for Mental Health & Well-Being, and Anoka County Human Services Division.
“In Minnesota, those identifying with 'not good mental health' smoke at a rate of 32 percent compared to the general adult population at 13.8 percent," said Reba Mathern-Jacobson, health promotions specialist for the Lung Association. "This wide disparity demands action, yet less than 40 percent of mental health treatment and substance use disorder facilities offer tobacco cessation counseling. We hope this resource will help change that."
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Materials in this guide are intended for administrators and direct service providers but may also be appropriate for primary care and other health care providers. Specifically, this guide is intended to provide easy-to-follow information and resources that meet the needs of mental illness and substance use disorder treatment organizations wanting to incorporate standard tobacco treatment and support services.
The full resource is currently available free for download on the American Lung Association of Minnesota website. Through the Lung Association, a team of local behavioral health and public health professionals are developing plans to disseminate the manual to mental health and substance use disorder facilities across Minnesota in 2019-2020.
