ASSIST:
Anti-Smoking Staten Island Support Team
ASSIST (Anti-Smoking Staten Island Support Team) was created in the fall of 2009 after Richmond University Medical Center received a grant from the NYSDOH – Tobacco Control Program.
Through this grant, ASSIST Cessation Center is working closely with health care providers in Staten Island to reduce the risk of tobacco-related diseases by lowering the prevalence of tobacco use.
What We Do
- Assist health care providers to implement the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence and to utilize the 5 As, a system for screening tobacco use and providing brief advice and counseling to help patients quit.
- Assist health care institutions with implementing a tobacco-free campus, as well as universal screening for tobacco use and intervention strategies.
- Assist health care providers with having the tools and knowledge they need to help patients quit by offering free resources, training and technical assistance.
- Assist with smoking cessation by promoting and advocating for the New York State Smokers’ Quitline, Staten Island Smoke-free Partnership, and other cessation resources.
Why We Do It
- Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States.
- Tobacco use costs New York State over $8 billion a year in smoking-related healthcare costs, including at least $3 billion in annual Medicaid costs.
- Staten Island continues to have the highest smoking rates in New York City.
- Smoking is a disease and should be treated as such!
ASSIST
Anti-Smoking Staten Island Support Team
Join Our Team!
Interested in quitting? Download this
form and fill it out. Then fax completed form to
1-866-784-8329.