BRAMPTON, ON. (January 7, 2008) – Peel Public Health is taking part in the Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients (STOP) Study. The first of its kind in Canada, the STOP Study will distribute nicotine replacement therapy aids free of charge to Peel residents.

“There are more choices than ever for smokers who want to quit and we are prepared to help them,” says Barb Patten, Region of Peel Public Health Nurse and Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist. “We are happy to be partnering with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Ministry of Health Promotion to give the people living in Peel a chance to quit smoking.”

While smoking rates in Ontario have declined over the past 20 years, 17% of Ontarians continue to smoke. Smoking is the largest preventable cause of disease in Ontario and represents a significant burden on Ontario’s health care system, totaling $1.6 billion every year. The good news is it is not too late to quit.

“If people are able to quit sooner, they may be able to prevent the onset of serious illnesses brought on by smoking,” says Dr. Peter Selby, Clinical Director of Addiction Programs, CAMH and Principal Investigator of the STOP Study.

Study participants will also be given helpful information and resources, such as counselling, to help in the quitting process, and will be periodically monitored to track the aid’s effectiveness. Those interested in participating in the STOP Study can call Region of Peel – Public Health at 905-799-7700 to see if they are eligible to participate.

“For those who are ready to quit smoking, we need to be there to help them along the way,” says Minister of Health Promotion Margarett Best. “That is why the McGuinty government has made unprecedented investments to improve access to smoking cessation resources for Ontarians who are ready to quit.”

Two STOP workshops will be held on Weedless Wednesday, which falls on January 23 this year. Part of National Non Smoking Week, Weedless Wednesday promotes a “one day at a time” approach to quitting smoking. The first workshop is from 1 – 4 p.m. at Fairview Clinic, 325 Central Pkwy. W., Mississauga, and the second workshop is from 6 – 9 p.m. at Terry Miller Recreation Centre, 1295 Williams Pkwy. E., Brampton. Those interested in participating in the workshops can call Region of Peel – Public Health at 905-799-7700 to complete a screening form and be registered in the workshop.

The Regional Municipality of Peel was incorporated in 1974 on the principle that certain community and infrastructure services are most cost-effectively administered over a larger geographic area. The Region of Peel serves more than one million residents in the Cities of Mississauga and Brampton and the Town of Caledon.