Network training update- National Jewish Quitline!

Last week, Dr. Scout flew to Colorado to do trainings at the National Jewish Hospital, home of one of the country’s largest quitlines.

Dr. Scout’s training, titled  “The LGBT Population and Tobacco Use: Creating an LGBT Friendly & Inclusive Environment”, discussed smoking disparities in LGBT populations, how to improve cultural competence and inclusion, data collection, and strategies for targeting LGBT communities.

LGBT Quitline Strategies:

• Before they call
• Understanding access barriers
• Enhancing welcome at your organization
• Once they call – creating welcoming environment
• After they call – extra materials

Evidence of LGBT Avoidance of Quitlines:

“In a rare study in Colorado that looked at intentions of smokers to use quitlines, LGBT people who smoked and wanted to quit were 5x less likely than others to call a quit line.”

The Lessons:

• While LGBT callers are very likely to experience stressors and triggers related to LGBT status…
• they are very unlikely to presume the quitline is a welcoming environment to discuss these issues.
• And hiding their LGBT status can adversely affect treatment.