Smokefree Indiana, part of the Department of Physiology and Health Science, has announced that Ball State employees and students have free access to the Indiana Tobacco Quitline through June 2006 by calling (800) QUIT-NOW. Beginning July 1 services will be targeted to pregnant smokers and other priority populations.

The Quitline provides support for persons who want to stop using tobacco; information on tobacco dependence for health professionals, families and friends of tobacco users; and information on community or national cessation resources.

Callers can talk with a live quit coach from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days a week. Quit coaches request brief demographic information from callers such as age, tobacco use history and ZIP code, however, all calls are confidential. Services are available in English and Spanish, and interpretive services will be utilized for other languages.

During nonoperational hours a bank of recorded informational messages is available. Callers have the option to leave a voice message, listen to tailored messages or both.

The Indiana Tobacco Quitline is made possible through a supplemental grant to Smokefree Indiana from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additional local resources and information about the Quitline can be found at www.smokefreeindiana.org.