Educational Conferences on Tobacco Treatment (CME and CEU Credit)

Basic Skills Training: 

Interested in learning more about tobacco use and integrating brief interventions into routine clinical care? These trainings will help you to gain knowledge in tobacco treatment and improve skills in person-centered interactions with patients/clients who use tobacco. The Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine's Tobacco Intervention: Basic Skills Training is offered in multiple locations across the state beginning each autumn.

This training combines an online component with a half-day, in-person training. 

Topics covered by the training include:

Part 1: The on-line training:

1. About the Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine
2. What's the Harm?  (Discussion of the harm caused by tobacco use)
3. Tobacco Dependence
4. Tobacco Dependence as a Pediatric Onset Disorder
5. Tobacco Treatment Medications
6. Tobacco and Metabolism

Part 2:  The in-person training:

1. Questions and Answers from the online program
2. Behavior Change Theory
3. Encouraging Change (discussion of Motivational Interviewing applied to tobacco treatment)
4. Brief Interventions (how to conduct brief, effective conversations with tobacco users)

Intensive Training: 

Are you in a position to deliver intensive counseling to tobacco users in an inpatient or outpatient setting? The Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine offers an Intensive Tobacco Treatment Training & Conference each year in April. This year's conference will be held in Bar Harbor on April 27 & 28, 2010 with an optional pre-conference session on April 26th. 

This year's conference features internationally recognized tobacco treatment expert Dr. Jonathan Foulds from New Jersey.  The special theme for the conference is "Tobacco, Diversity and Disparities". 

For the pre-conference, on Monday, 4/26/10, Dr. Foulds will present and discuss the New Jersey model for conducting Intensive tobacco treatment in group settings.  To learn more about this upcoming conference, please click here to view the brochure.

A note about the Tobacco Treatment Specialist Certification (TTS-C) in Maine.  The American Lung Association of Maine (www.mainelung.org) oversees a Commission that governs the certification program in Maine.  Attendance of both the Basic Skills Training and the Intensive Tobacco Treatment Training are among the requirements for becoming certified in Maine.  To learn more about the TTS-C program, please  click here.

Webinars (non-CME/CEU trainings):

For the first time,the MaineHealth Center For Tobacco Independence, on behalf of the Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine is offering a series of Webinars on selected topics related to tobacco treatment.  The target audience for these webinars are all professionals who have previously attended a Basic Skills Training.  There is no registration fee for the webinars. 

Education in Your Office or Healthcare Setting: 

Interested in knowing more about tobacco treatment in your clinical setting?

CTI has the resources you need to improve delivery of evidence-based tobacco treatment focusing on clinician education and systems strategies as well as the “how-to” knowledge of implementing these strategies.

On-site CME/CEU Educational In-services:

The Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine’s Tobacco Treatment Initiative offers free clinical outreach educational sessions to healthcare providers and staff through out the state of Maine. These one-hour sessions are designed to increase awareness and understanding of state tobacco treatment resources, national guidelines for tobacco treatment, and local referral resources.  

Each training session is approved for 1 hour of Category 1 CME. These in-services are also approved for continuing nursing education activity by ANA-Maine, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.  Other accreditations include: approval by the State of Maine Board of Dental Examiners, the American Dietetic Association, the Maine Board of Pharmacy Event, and the Maine Board of Respiratory Care Practitioners. 

Learning Objectives for the In-service include:

• Learn how to implement the A’s of tobacco treatment, based on accepted standards of care (PHS Guideline 2008)
• Understand the impact of providing brief interventions, counseling, medication, and social support for tobacco users
• Learn about state and local resources available to assist in tobacco treatment efforts, including the Maine Tobacco HelpLine and the Medication Voucher Program

Training can be tailored for individual healthcare settings. For more information, please contact Cori Holt, Clinical Outreach Program Manager, at 662-5715 or holtc1@mainehealth.org.

Clinical Outreach Program

The Clinical Outreach Program is a free state-wide initiative that is designed to help your team encourage and support your staff’s tobacco treatment efforts. This program is supported by the Maine CDC and the Partnership For a Tobacco-Free Maine.

Clinical Outreach provides a comprehensive assessment of current office practice, a determination of system changes to accomplish consistent clinical practice, and assistance with accomplishing the identified changes. 

A Clinical Outreach Specialist from the CTI/PTM program will provide free tailored visits to your site to promote system changes to support tobacco-dependence treatment and provide staff education. 

Components of these visits include:

• An interactive office assessment conducted by designated office staff and the Clinical Outreach Specialist as to current office practice relative to conducting brief tobacco interventions, generating FAX referrals to the Maine Tobacco HelpLine and dissemination of self-help patient materials.
• Education provided to practice staff by the Clinical Outreach Specialist on tobacco dependence and brief interventions (CME's provided).
• Guidance and support in formulating a plan for designing an office system for conducting brief interventions leading to increased tobacco treatment at your clinic and/or increased use of the Maine HelpLine Fax referral.
• Providing on-going resources and tools for successful implementation of agreed-upon plan, noting progress and identifying any barriers to progress with amended plan as indicated.

For more information or if you are interested in participating in this program, please contact CTI’s program manager, Cori Holt, by phone (207)662-5715 or email at holtc1@mainehealth.org.