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ABOUT US
Healthy Lungs Initiative is Cook County Health and Hospitals System’s (CCHHS) lung health program, geared toward reducing the impact of tobacco and asthma on Cook County residents. Since its inception in 2008, Healthy Lungs Initiative has provided smoking cessation counseling and asthma and COPD education throughout CCHHS hospitals, specialty clinics, and primary care clinics. The program is administered in collaboration with the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago.
ADRESSING A NEED
Tobacco use is the most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death. In Chicago, one in five adults and one in eight high school students smoke regularly. Studies show that 70 percent of people who smoke say they want to quit. Healthy Lungs Initiative expands smoking cessation services in both clinical and community settings to address this need, particularly in those communities serving high burden and low income individuals.
In Cook County, over 317,000 adults and 120,000 children have been diagnosed with asthma. Chicago has been called the epicenter of the nation's asthma epidemic, with hospitalization rates at one time nearly double the national average. Healthy Lungs Initiative provides support and information to educate people with asthma and those who care for them.
WHAT WE DO
Smoking Cessation
Lung Health Educators offer the following services to help people quit smoking: individual counseling, information on medications, quit plans, referrals to local resources, and telephone follow-up support. We work with all smokers across the continuum: offering motivational materials for those not yet ready to stop smoking and in-depth quit plans and counseling for those ready to make a quit attempt.
Asthma and COPD
Patient education improves self-management and reduces symptom burden for those with asthma or COPD. Lung Health Educators provide asthma and COPD self-management instruction through educational sessions incorporated into routine care, covering medication usage, action plans, reducing exposure to triggers, and inhaler device training. Educators provide spirometry in selected sites as well.
WHERE WE WORK
Healthy Lungs Initiative services are regularly available at the following locations:
Cook County Health and Hospitals System Inpatient Wards and Outpatient Clinics
Provident Hospital
Stroger Hospital
Ambulatory Community Health Network Clinics
Austin Health Center
Englewood Health Center
Fantus Health Center
Jorge Prieto Family Health Center
Logan Square Health Center
Near South Health Center
Oak Forest Hospital
Other Clinics
CommunityHealth
El Rincon Community Clinic
Erie Family Health Center
Haymarket Center
Heartland Alliance
Salvation Army
Women’s Treatment Center
EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
Outpatient Cessation Worksheet - A self-help tool intended for those who are ready to make a quit attempt. (English/Spanish)
Medications Used for Smoking Cessation - Outlines the various forms of medications and nicotine replacement therapy available to those who are quitting smoking. (English)
Creating a Smoke-free Home - Provides information on secondhand smoke and ways to maintain a smoke-free household. (English/Spanish)
Handouts for Various Stages of Quitting (Eng) - Offers general information on smoking cessation for both those ready and not ready to quit smoking.
"Not Thinking About Quitting", "Thinking About Quitting" , "Getting Ready to Quit", and "After Quitting"
Asthma Medication Overview – Outlines the different families of asthma medications and what they do. (English/Spanish)
How to use Qvar with a Spacer – Step by step instructions on how to use an inhaled steroid with a spacer. (English/Spanish)
How to use Albuterol with a Spacer – Step by step instructions on how to use Albuterol medication with a spacer. (English/Spanish)
How to use Symbicort – Step by step instructions on how to use Symbicort medication. (English/Spanish)
How to use a Serevent Diskus – Step by step instructions on how to use Serevent diskus. (English/Spanish)
How to use Prednisone – Information and tips about Prednisone medication. (English/Spanish)
Asthma Triggers - How to avoid and reduce common asthma triggers. (English/Spanish)
Understanding COPD – Information on symptoms and treatment of COPD. (English/Spanish)
Metropolitan Tenants Organization - Information for tenants and their rights regarding exposures in the home (mold, leaks, cockroaches). (English/Spanish)
OTHER RESOURCES
If you would like to receive free quit smoking counseling, call the Illinois Tobacco Quitline at 1-866-QUIT-YES. Bilingual counselors are available.
CONTACT US
If you would like to speak with a Lung Health Educator or have questions about the program, call us at 312-864-4433. Please leave a message or request a specific Educator and someone will return your call within 24 hours.
Clinical Director:
Sara Semal, MA, LPCP
ssemal@lungchicago.org
Program Manager:
Sarah Rittner, MA
srittner@lungchicago.org
Medical Co-directors:
David Goldberg, MD
dgoldberg@cookcountyhhs.org
Anne Krantz, MD, MPH
akrantz@cookcountyhhs.org
Healthy Lungs Initiative
healthylungs@cookcountyhhs.org
Hektoen Building
627 South Wood Street, 4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60612
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