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Dear Editor:
As one of the most accessible health care providers in your local community, pharmacists are available to assist you in quitting tobacco smoking.
In the state of Indiana, pharmacists are able to prescribe FDA-approved smoking cessation products and counsel on their use to any patient in the state. Therefore, any pharmacist at your local Indiana grocery store, pharmacy, or hospital can help you in your fight to quit smoking. Pharmacists are trained on screening patients for willingness to quit and how to select the best cessation products/medications to achieve the highest success rate. The Indiana Quitline and pharmacist tobacco cessation services are resources that the state has created to get Hoosiers to quit smoking.
As a newly graduated PharmD from Hamilton County, I look forward to utilizing my training from Purdue University to end the life-long battle of tobacco smoking within our community. Throughout my clinical rotations, I have personally seen the impact that the Indiana Quitline and pharmacist-led prescribing of cessation products has had on my patients.
The decision to quit smoking is never easy, but the resources Indiana has created to help you quit are easy to use and accessible online or in-person. So, next time you pick up your prescription at the local pharmacy, ask the pharmacist about smoking cessation or go to the Indiana Quitline today.
Sara Foreman, PharmD
Westfield