UNMC to be tobacco-free by end of summer

Cessation resources The Caremark Prescription Drug Program includes includes reimbursement for tobacco cessation drugs including: Bupropion, Zyban, Chantix, Nicotine Gum, Nicotrol Inhaler, and Nicoderm Patch. A 30-day supply of the above drugs based on the brand non-formulary co-pay ($47) except for Bupropion which is a generic drug ($9 co-pay). These co-pays can be submitted to the Health Care Reimbursement account if you are participating in that benefit. An annual $50 deductible is also required for brand name drugs for each covered person.

UNMC will be tobacco-free when the fall semester begins, and employees who use tobacco will have access to cessation aids and programs.

Don Leuenberger, vice chancellor for business and finance, said the time is right for UNMC to be tobacco-free. With the exception of designated outside smoking areas, UNMC has been tobacco-free for almost 20 years.

The tobacco-free designation means tobacco use will not be allowed anywhere on campus, be it indoors or outdoors. When the transition is complete, UNMC will join many of the country’s other academic health science centers in going tobacco-free.

“We understand that for someone who is trying to quit using tobacco, the habit can be difficult to break,” Leuenberger said. “We’ll provide support and services for those who are trying to quit, and we hope that many of our employees who use tobacco will take advantage of this assistance.”

Help to quit

Jayme Nekuda, Ph.D, division director of benefits and worklife programs, said that Faculty/Employee Assistance Program (559-5175) has a counselor certified as an addiction specialist for individual appointments and provides group sessions on addictions, specifically the addiction of tobacco products.

“Certainly, as people try to stop tobacco use, we want to provide them with opportunities to replace that habit with healthy ones,” Dr. Nekuda said. “I would encourage tobacco users to take an on-campus nutrition class such as Weight Watchers or Choose to Lose, or join the Center for Healthy Living.

“Also, massage therapy is available in the Student Life Building to help relieve and manage stress. This is an opportunity to feel better and to be healthier, which is the top priority.”

Dr. Nekuda noted that employees’ Health Care Reimbursement Account funds can be used for tobacco cessation programs, counseling and medications — both over-the-counter and prescription. The Caremark Prescription Drug Program also provides reduced costs for tobacco cessation medications (see info box). In addition, employees receive discounted life insurance premiums if they are non-tobacco users.

Plan based on committee’s suggestions

Dr. Nekuda and Mohammad Siahpush, Ph.D, professor in the College of Public Health, led a campus committee that developed recommendations that served as a basis for the tobacco-free policy. The committee is a subgroup of the UNMC Wellness Council, which is headed by Kyle Meyer, Ph.D., associate dean of the School of Allied Health Professions. The committee was composed of faculty, staff and students from each UNMC college and department. The committee also included some tobacco users and ex-tobacco users.

More at the forums Jayme Nekuda, Ph.D., will outline the tobacco-free campus plan at employee forums in the coming weeks. The forums will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17, at the Sorrell Center Room 3001, and at 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, at the Durham Research Center Auditorium. The June 18 forum will be broadcast to the following locations: College of Nursing – Lincoln, Room 307; College of Dentistry – Lincoln, Room 52; College of Nursing – Kearney, Room 148W; and College of Nursing – Scottsbluff, Room 204.

Dr. Nekuda noted that the committee drew on some of UNMC’s own expertise in developing the plan, including that of Dr. Siahpush and Pam Jones, Ph.D. Both Drs. Siahpush and Jones have done significant research in tobacco control.

“A recent national survey has shown that more than 90 percent of smokers regret having ever started smoking and over 70 percent of them plan to quit smoking,” Dr. Siahpush said. “A tobacco-free campus not only protects non-smokers from second hand smoke, but also helps those who want to quit. We are pleased and proud that our campus will be tobacco-free before the beginning of the new academic year.”