The Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health, has launched a 12-month pilot nicotine replacement therapy program to decrease tobacco use among the state’s residents.

DHR is collaborating with Free & Clear Inc. to offer the NRT program to Georgia residents in five public health districts including the Coastal Health District, made up of Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long and McIntosh counties.

The NRT program is available to residents 18 and older that utilize the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line Multiple Call Program, a free service that provides counseling, support and referral services for tobacco users. Three choices of NRT are available to participants including the nicotine patch, nicotine gum, and nicotine lozenge. All three choices will be provided at no cost for a total of eight weeks and medical overrides will be in place for those contraindicated for the program, including pregnant women. Participants must not have any medical conditions that would preclude them from taking part.

“Almost one in four persons living in the participating health districts use tobacco products which, in turn, have a significant impact on their overall health,” said Dr. Sandra Elizabeth Ford, acting director of the Division of Public Health. “In an effort to better the lives of Georgians, we have combined Georgia Quit Line services with the pilot NRT program. It is our hope that we will significantly decrease tobacco use in these areas with these services.”

For more information on Georgia’s Tobacco Use Prevention Program, go to www.health.state.ga.us/programs/tobacco/
index.asp.