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.