Cigarette smoking in the U.S. has declined dramatically since the Surgeon General first warned against it.

But tobacco use (smoking and other use of tobacco products) remains the single most preventable cause of premature death in the U.S. Some groups smoke tobacco more than others:

• American Indian/Alaska Native men and women
• African American men
• People with a high school education or less
• People living below the poverty level
• Young people — approximately 26% of whites, 22% of Hispanics and 13% of African Americans in high school are current cigarette smokers

Although safety net providers may be more likely to care for people who smoke, only 57 percent of HRSA-supported health center grantees have formal tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

Safety net providers can help patients quit using tobacco — or keep them from starting so they gain the immediate and long-term benefits of a tobacco-free life and their families and friends are spared exposure to secondhand smoke and other tobacco risks.

Make sure every patient who smokes or may be exposed to secondhand smoke knows about great U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stop smoking resources available free on-line and by phone.

1-800-Quit-Now (NIH) supports smokers in quitting, provides free quit coaching, a free quit plan, free educational materials, and referrals to local resources. Add a link to your Web site and tell patients to click or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669); TTY 1-800-332-8615.

Quit Smoking (CDC) provides consumer guides, an animation that shows how smoking damages nearly every organ in the body, and resources for health care providers, including treatment guides and case studies.

SmokeFree.gov (HHS) offers guidance to consumers and information for health professionals, including a catalog of research studies.

Section 340B requires manufacturers to sell any drug provided in an outpatient setting to eligible entities at or below the 340B statutory ceiling price. This includes prescription drugs for smoking cessation and can include over-the-counter drugs, if a prescriber writes a prescription for the drug.

• 340B Drug Pricing Program
• Smoking Medicines to Help You for women (FDA) booklet for printing.

• Initiative to Implement Cancer and Tobacco Control Programs in Health Centers grantees
• Guideline for Tobacco Cessation and Secondhand Smoke Exposure (PDF, 101KB) Colorado Clinical Guidelines Collaborative
• Tobacco Cessation During Pregnancy Washington State Department of Health
• Reducing Environmental Tobacco Smoke in NICU Infants' Homes
• Pregnancy Psychosocial Risk Screening Validation Study
• WIC Families Who Smoke: A Behavioral Counseling Study