If You want to quit Smoking?

Help is Available for Smokers Who Want to Quit as Minnesota's Smoke-Free Law Takes Effect Oct. 1


Statement from Mark W. Banks, M.D., CEO of Blue Cross

EAGAN, Minn., Sept. 29 - "As the state implements the new
smoke-free law on October 1, Minnesotans should know FREE support is
available for anyone who wants to quit smoking and that Blue Cross and Blue
Shield of Minnesota stands ready to help its members with the BluePrint for
Health(R) stop-smoking program," said Mark W. Banks, M.D., CEO of Blue
Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross).
"Historically, when other states have gone smoke-free, requests for
help to quit smoking have increased. We expect the same thing to happen
here in Minnesota. Quitting is hard, but with medication and phone
coaching, a smoker's odds of quitting can be greatly improved."
Since the BluePrint for Health(R) program's inception in May of 2000,
Blue Cross has enrolled nearly 35,000 members with an average quit rate of
29 percent. Nationally, only around 5 percent of smokers are successful in
their quit attempts.
"The negative health effects of secondhand smoke are staggering," Banks
continued. "More than $215 million is spent each year in Minnesota to treat
health conditions caused by exposure to secondhand smoke and another 580
deaths are caused by secondhand smoke exposure. Knowing what's at risk,
we're pleased that Minnesota has become the 20th state to protect all
workers from the harms of secondhand smoke," Banks concluded.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, with headquarters in the St.
Paul suburb of Eagan, was chartered in 1933 as Minnesota's first health
plan and continues to carry out its charter mission today: to promote a
wider, more economical and timely availability of health services for the
people of Minnesota. A nonprofit, taxable organization, Blue Cross is the
largest health plan based in Minnesota, covering 2.9 million members in
Minnesota and nationally through its health plans or plans administered by
its affiliated companies. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an
independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association,
headquartered in Chicago. Go to http://www.bluecrossmn.com to learn more
about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. (PRN)